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TV ill Was Safe on Second Base . 
Frontispiece 



TOMMY TIPTOP AND 
HIS BASEBALL NINE 


OR THE 

BOYS OF RIVERDALE AND 
THEIR GOOD TIMES 


BY 

RAYMOND STONE 

u 

AUTHOR OF “TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS FOOTBALL ELEVEN,* * 
“TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS WINTER SPORTS,* * ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW YORK 

GRAHAM & MATLACK 


PUBLISHERS 


BOOKS FOR BOYS 

BY RAYMOND STONE 


THE TOMMY TIPTOP SERIES 

Quarto. 128 pages. Cover in colors 
Illustrated. Price, per volume, 40 cents, postpaid 

TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS BASEBALL 
NINE; Or, The Boys of Riverdale and Their 
Good Times 

TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS FOOTBALL 
ELEVEN ; Or, A Great Victory and How It 
Was Won 

TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS WINTER 
SPORTS; Or, Jolly Times on the Ice and in 
Camp 

(Other volumes in preparation) 

GRAHAM & MATLACK, Publishers, New York 

Copyright, 1912, by 
GRAHAM & MATLACK 


Tommy Tiptop and His Baseball Nine 



CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 


I. 

Tommy Plays Ball 


S 

V 


w 

7 

II. 

Tommy Moves Away 

• 

-* 

ft 


:•] 

16 

III. 

Tommy Has an Accident 

i* 


ft 


r.] 

26 

IV. 

Tommy Starts His Nine 

. 

. 

s 


w 

33 

V. 

Tommy Makes a Run 

. 

•1 

•. 


r*j 

44 

VI. 

Tommy Upsets a Bull .. 


• 

ft 

m 

:•] 

52 

VII. 

Tommy Goes Swimming . 

. 

> 



:»i 

61 

VIII. 

Tommy Earns Some Money 

V 

.. 

*• 



68 

IX. 

Tommy's Nine Plays 

. 

• 

• 

l«. 

.. 

77 

X. 

Tommy Goes Fishing 



•i 

L*. 

• 

84 

XI. 

Tommy Is in Danger 

. 



!• 


93 

XII. 

Tommy Saves His Enemy 


•j 

•i 

... 

•> 

103 

XIII. 

Tommy Gives a Show 

. 

- 

ft 

r. 


112 

XIV. 

Tommy Meets Old Friends 

• 

• 

ft 

9 

. 

11 7 

XV. 

Tommy Tastes Victory . 

•i 

•J 

A 


. 

120 


s 



Tommy Tiptop and His 
Baseball Nine 


CHAPTER I 

TOMMY PLAYS BALL 

“I’M GOING to be up at the bat first!” 

“You’re not, Tommy Tiptop! It’s my turn!” 

“No, you were up first the last time we played. It’s 
Sammie Small’s turn, if it isn’t mine,” and Tommy Tiptop, 
a sturdy, stout chap of ten years, looked around at his com- 
panions, boys of about his own age. They had gathered 
on a vacant lot after school to have a ball game. 

“That’s right!” cried Sammie Small. “I haven’t had a 
chance to hit the ball this week. You fellows keep me 
chasing after the ones you knock all the while.” 

“Well, come on then, if we’re going to play!” exclaimed 
Tommy, who always liked to be busy, if not at one thing 
then at another. And when he found that it wasn’t his turn 
to bat he was willing to do something else. “Come on!” he 
cried. “I’ll pitch and Sammie can bat. We haven’t got 
enough for sides, and ” 

“Yes, we have, too!” suddenly cried Horace Wright. 
“Here come Dan Danforth and George Squire. That 

makes five on a side, and we’ll choose ” 

7 


8 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Who are going to be the captains?” asked Dan, as he 
and George hurried up, tossing their books in a pile on the 
green grass. 

“I’ll be one captain!” exclaimed Tommy Tiptop. 

“Oh, you always want to be a captain!” sniffed Horace. 

“Well then, be it yourself,” agreed Tommy quickly. 
“Only let’s play. What’s the good of standing here talking 
all day?” 

“You’re talking as much as the rest of us,” put in Patsie 
Cook. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. We’ll race to the big 
tree, and the two first fellows to get there shall be the 
captains.” 

“That’s the way!” came in a chorus from the other lads, 
and instantly they set off at top speed for a big maple tree 
that grew on the edge of a brook which flowed through the 
meadow near the school — a meadow where the small boys 
used to play ball. The larger lads had a regular diamond, 
with canvas bags for bases and a real home plate that didn’t 
get lost or kicked aside every time a cow walked through 
the field. But Tommy and his friends were satisfied with 
their way of doing things. 

Away the ten young chaps raced, each eager to be one 
of the two first at the tree, and so gain the honor of being 
one of the captains. 

“Come on, Tommy!” called Dan Danforth, looking back 
to note the progress of the other lad, for Dan was a year 
older than our hero and liked him very much. “Come on, 
Tommy; don’t let Sammie beat you!” 

“I — I won’t!” gasped Tommy, his sturdy legs going back 
and forth rapidly. “I — I’m coming!” 

“Go on, I’m going to win!” cried Sammie, as with a 
burst of speed he got ahead of Tommy. Sammie and Dan 
were now the two foremost runners, but the big tree was 


TOMMY PLAYS BALL 


9 


still some distance away, and Tommy had a chance, for he 
was directly behind Sammie. The other boys were strung 
out in a long line behind. 

“Go on, Tommy! Go on!” yelled some of the boys in 
the rear. “We want you for our captain!” 

“I’m going to be the captain!” cried Sammie, and he 
looked back to see how close Tommy was to him. 

And then something happened. Sammie did not see a 
crooked stick that was right in his path, and the next 
moment his toe caught under it. He tripped and then went 
sprawling in the soft grass, rolling over and over. 

“Now’s your time, Tommy!” yelled George Squire, who 
had no chance of winning. “Go on, Tommy! Leg it! Leg 
it!” 

“That ain’t fair!” cried Sammie, trying to jump up and 
keep on with the race. 

“Sure it is!” exclaimed Dan. “He didn’t trip you. You 
did it yourself. Go on and win, Tommy!” 

“I’m going to!” came from Tommy, as he raced on faster 
than ever. He was soon at the side of Dan, and a few 
seconds later both were at the big tree, while Sammie, pick- 
ing himself up, came on after them, but too late to win the 
race. 

“Tommy and Dan are the captains!” cried Patsie Cook. 
“Take me on your side, Tommy!” 

“I’m going to play on Dan’s side!” exclaimed Sammie, 
who felt just a little bit angry at Tommy for having beaten 
him. 

“All right,” answered Dan, good-naturedly, and he was 
satisfied, for Sammie was a good player. 

And so the choosing of the sides went on, and then the 
ten lads hurried back to the middle of the field, where the 


IO 


TOMMY TIPTOE AND HIS NINE 


grass was not so long, and where you did not have to hunt 
half an hour to find the ball after you had batted it 

“Let’s see who has first inning,” suggested Tommy. So 
he tossed the bat to Dan, who caught it in one hand, about 
half way down. Then Tommy put his hand on top of 
Dan’s, and Dan did the same thing to Tommy’s pudgy fist, 
until the top of the bat was reached, when Tommy, having 
the last hold, was entitled to choose first or last inning, just 
as he liked. 

“He hasn’t got his whole hand on that bat!” exclaimed 
Sammie, who wanted his side to have the advantage. 

“I have so!” cried Tommy. 

“Hit the top of the bat with a brick and you can soon 
tell,” advised George Squire. 

This was done, and it was found that when the bat was 
tapped Tommy’s hand was not touched, so Sammie’s objec- 
tion did not amount to anything. 

“Take last inning, Tommy,” advised Patsie Cook, “then 
we’ll have a better chance to win.” 

“I will not!” cried our hero. “I’m going to get our raps 
in first, and then if any of the fellows want to quit we won’t 
get left. We’ll take first whacks.” 

“All right,” agreed Dan. “Now, boys, we’ll see who 
wins. We’ll only play two bases, and that will leave one 
fellow to run after the balls. I’ll pitch, Sammie can catch, 
and Pete Johnson can race after the balls.” 

“I will not!” cried Pete. “I want to be on base.” 

“Jake Carroll and Harold Mott are going to be on the 
bases,” declared the captain. 

“Then I won’t play!” came from Pete. 

“Yes, you will, too. I’m captain, and what I say goes! 
You get out and race after the balls, and maybe I’ll let you 
catch next inning.” 


TOMMY PLAYS BALL 


1 1 


“Oh, will you? All right!” cried Pete, much pleased. 

“Hey, somebody has taken our home plate!” cried 
Tommy, who, assuming the right because he was captain, 
had come to bat first. “That nice flat stone we had for 
home is gone.” 

“I guess Billy Newhouse took it just to be mean!” 
exclaimed Dan. “I saw him walking around here this 
morning, and he threw something in the brook. Maybe it 
was our stone.” 

“Oh, get another stone and play ball!” cried Sammie 
Small. “Do you want us to stay here all night? I want a 
chance to bat!” 

“All right,” agreed Tommy Tiptop. “Go ahead, I’m 
ready. This stone will do,” and he picked up a small flat 
one and put it down in front of him, tapping his bat on it 
to show that the game might begin. 

“Pitch him a curve now, Dan! Pitch him a curve!” 
cried Sammie from his position as catcher. 

“Get out! He can’t curve ’em!” retorted Patsie. 

“I can’t, eh? I’ll show you!” cried Dan, and he sent in 
a swift one. It came straight for Tommy, who quickly 
turned his back, and received the ball on his shoulder. 

“Ouch! You did that on purpose, Dan Danforth!” 
yelled the small batsman. 

“I did not! You got right in the way of it. If you had 
stood still, it would have curved right around you.” 

“Oh, go on!” 

“Take your base, anyhow, Tommy,” advised Patsie. 
“That’s the rule; when you’re hit you take your base. I’ll 
bring you in,” and he grabbed up the bat that Tommy cast 
aside as he started for the stone which marked first base. 
Tommy rubbed his shoulder as he trotted along. 


12 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Did I hurt you much?” asked Dan, a little sorry for 
the way the ball had slipped. “I didn’t mean to.” 

“No, it doesn’t hurt much,” replied Tommy. “I don’t 
mind. Now knock a good one, Patsie!” 

Dan delivered another ball, and Patsie missed it, while 
the opposite side yelled with delight. 

“That was too high!” said the batter. “I want one 
there,” and he held the stick out in front of him to show 
where he liked the ball to come. 

“Here it is!” exclaimed Dan, and he pitched the ball 
again. 

There was a crash of the bat, and the ball went sailing 
over the grass. 

“Run, Patsie! Run!” his friends advised him. 

“Come on in, Tommy! Come on in!” were the other 
shouts, as Tommy, who had started for second base, reached 
it and hesitated about going “home.” Then he concluded it 
was safe, and he raced on. But Pete Johnson had the ball 
now, and threw it in. 

“Look ocM” yelled George Squire. “He’ll get you, 
Tommy!” 

Sammie Small stretched out his hands to gather in the 
ball and put the runner out at the home plate. 

“Slide, Tommy! Slide!” advised Patsie, who had reached 
second base and was resting there. 

Tommy Tiptop dropped into the dust and slid the rest 
of the way home, getting there before the ball did. An 
instant later Sammie reached over and touched him on the 
back, crying: 

“Out!” 

“I am not!” yelled Tommy, springing to his feet. “I’m 
safe! I’ll leave it to Dan.” 

“Yes, I guess he’s safe,” slowly admitted the captain of 


TOMMY PLAYS BALL 


13 

the other team. “He’s safe enough, Sam. Go on; we’ll get 
the next one. Who’s up?” 

“George is,” declared Tommy, looking at his clothes, 
which were covered with dust. “Gosh! Ma’ll give it to 
me when I get home,” he added, as he tried to remove some 
of the dirt with wisps of grass. 

“Take your handkerchief,” advised Ted Melton. 

“Huh! And get that all dirt, too?” asked Tommy. 

“You can wash that off in the brook.” 

“That’s right, so I can,” and Tommy began a vigorous 
scrubbing of his clothes with a handkerchief that was 
already pretty soiled. 

“Say, what is this — a ball game or a laundry?” asked 
Sammie Small. “If you fellows want to clean your clothes, 
stand back and let us play ball. We want our innings out 
of this game!” 

Ted and Tommy moved back out of the way, and the 
game went on. 

“Two out all out, isn’t it?” asked Sammie, as George 
Squire knocked a little fly that was caught by Dan. 

“Yes, two out all out,” agreed Tommy. “Say, I wish 
we had enough for a regular nine,” he went on. “I’d like 
to play in a match game.” 

“You’re too small.” 

“I am not. Some day I’m going to get up a regular nine, 
and have uniforms, and bases, and a lot of balls, so if we lose 
one we don’t have to stop the game. I wish ” 

“You’re out!” interrupted Dan, calling to Frank Nixon, 
who was up at the bat. “Three strikes and you’re out! Sam 
caught that last one.” 

“That’s only two strikes!” 

“It’s three!” repeated Dan. 


T 4 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“I’ll leave it to Tommy!” cried the other. “Was that 
three strikes, Tommy?” 

“I didn’t see,” our hero was forced to admit. “I was 
cleaning the dust off my clothes. But we’ll give it. Come 
out in the field, fellows,” he called to his side. 

“Huh! That’s a hot way to play,” complained Frank. 
“It was only two strikes!” 

“Never mind, we got two runs,” consoled Patsie, who had 
come in when Sammie missed a ball that the pitcher* threw 
to him. 

The game went on for some time, and the boys had much 
fun and several disputes, but there was no real quarrel, and 
they easily forgot their little differences. 

When it came time for the fifth inning, which was the 
last they were to play, Dan’s team got one run. 

“Two more and we’ll beat!” he called to his friends. 

“Don’t let ’em get anything!” advised Patsie. 

“I won’t,” declared Tommy, who was pitching, and he 
kept his word, for that one run was all Dan’s side got that 
inning, and Tommy’s team won the game by seven runs to six. 

“Let’s see if we can’t get more fellows here to-morrow, 
and have a better game. I wish we had more bats. One 
isn’t enough. And we need some more balls. This one is 
losing the cover,” said Tommy. 

“Say, you’ll be a professional if you keep on,” exclaimed 
Dan, laughing. 

“I’d like to be,” answered Tommy, and then he and the 
other lads picked up their books and walked off the field, 
talking of the fun they had had. 

“Oh, Tommy Tiptop!” exclaimed his sister Nellie, who 
met her brother a little later as he was nearing home. 
“You’ll get it! Look at your clothes!” 

“Does the dirt show much?” asked Tommy, anxiously. 


TOMMY PLAYS BALL 


l 5 

“Oh, it’s awful! Isn’t it, Grace?” and Nellie turned to 
a girl with her. 

“Couldn’t help it — had to slide home to keep from get- 
ting put out,” murmured the young ball player. “Say, 
Nellie, do you s’pose ma’ll say much?” 

“No, I guess not; there’s too much going on at home,” 
answered Nellie. 

“What’s going on?” asked Tommy quickly. 

“It’s a secret, and I’m not going to tell you,” replied his 
sister. “You wouldn’t let me come fishing with you the 
other day, and I’m not going to tell.” 

“Huh! Girls can’t fish. They’re afraid to put the 
worms on the hook,” retorted Tommy. “But I’ll let you 
come next time I go, if you’ll tell me the secret.” 

“Nope. I haven’t told anybody but Grace, and I’m not 
going to.” 

“Well, I don’t care; keep your old secret, then! I’ll get 
one of my own, and, anyhow, ma’ll tell me when I get 
home,” said Tommy, and broke into a run to find out what 
the news was that had caused his sister to act so strangely. 


CHAPTER II 


TOMMY MOVES AWAY 

“Why, ma, what’s the matter?” cried Tommy, bursting 
into the house a little later. “What has happened? Was 
there a fire?” 

Well might he ask, for the house, that was usually in 
such trim order, was now in confusion. The chairs were 
scattered about, and his mother was up on a step-ladder 
taking down the pictures from the wall, while out in the 
kitchen Mrs. Norah Flannigan, the washerwoman, was 
doing up dishes in pieces of newspaper and putting them in 
barrels and boxes. 

“What’s the matter, ma?” asked Tommy again, pausing 
in the doorway. 

“Nothing, Tommy, dear,” answered his mother. “We 
are going to move away, that’s all. Get on your old suit, 
and you can help. Oh, what has happened to your clothes?” 
she added as she looked more closely at him. 

“I slid in the dust, playing ball. But, ma, are we really 
going to move away? Where? When? I didn’t hear 
anything about it before. Is this the secret Nellie meant?” 

“I guess so, dear. Oh, that’s your best school suit, and 
now I’ve got to stop and scrub it, and it will never look the 
same again. Oh, Tommy!” 

“I didn’t mean to, ma,” he answered, tossing his books 
down on a chair and looking for a good safe place in which 

16 


TOMMY MOVES AWAY 


i7 


to stand up the baseball bat. “I just slid. Then I tried to 
clean the dust off with bunches of grass and my handker- 
chief. My handkerchief’s real clean,” he went on. “I 
washed it out in the brook.” And he pulled out a limp and 
damp rag to show. 

“Yes, and then you put it in your pocket all wet; didn’t 
you, Tommy?” 

“I — I guess I did, ma.” 

“Oh, what creatures boys are! No, Mrs. Flannigan!” 
Mrs. Tiptop suddenly called to the washerwoman, who was 
packing the dishes, “don’t put that big platter on top of the 
small cups. Put the big dishes on the bottom of the box, 
and the light ones on top.” 

“All right, mum. Sure, movin’ is a terrible thing, isn’t 
it, mum?” 

“Indeed it is, Mrs. Flannigan. Now, Tommy, just slip 
on your old clothes and you can help. I wish Nellie was 
here. I need her.” 

“She’s coming — I just met her. But why are we mov- 
ing, ma, and what’s the rush?” 

“Your papa has a new position in Riverdale, and we are 
going to live in a nice large house there. We didn’t expect 
to go so soon, and I thought I would have more time to 
pack, but they want your father there right away, and so we 
are going to-morrow.” 

“But I didn’t hear anything about it,” insisted Tommy. 

“No, we hadn’t quite made up our minds until last night, 
and we didn’t expect to move for a week. Then word 
came this noon that we would have to be in Riverdale by 
to-morrow, so your father had to go out and get some vans 
for the furniture. I told Nellie about it this noon, but you 
rushed off in such a hurry after dinner that I didn’t get a 
chance to speak to you.” 


i8 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“I wanted to play ball,” explained Tommy. “Oh, say, 
I don’t want to move, ma!” 

“Why not?” and Mrs. Tiptop looked down on Tommy 
from the step-ladder, carefully holding a picture she had 
just taken off the wall. “Why not, my son?” 

“Why, I won’t know any of the fellows there; I’ll have 
to go to a new school, and I’ve just started a baseball 
nine here. Oh, ma, can’t I stay here? I could board at 
Patsie Cook’s house. His ma is awful good, and she makes 
dandy cake! I don’t want to move.” 

“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to go with us, Tommy,” 
said his mother. “Come now, help me. You’ll like it in 
Riverdale, I’m sure, and you’ll soon get used to the new 
school. I dare say you’ll find just as nice boys there as 
there are here, and you can start a baseball nine there. 
Come now, get on your old clothes, and you can wrap 
newspapers abound these pictures, but don’t break the 
glass.” 

“Oh, dear! I don’t want to move!” exclaimed Tommy, 
but there was no help for it. 

His sister Nellie came in a little later. 

“Pooh! Now I know the secret!” exclaimed Tommy. 

“Well, I knew it first,” said the girl, who was two years 
younger than her brother, but who sometimes acted as if she 
thought she was older. 

“You’ve got to help ma,” went on Tommy. “I wonder 
what it’s like in Riverdale?” 

“It’s nice there. Grace Reynolds has a cousin who lives 
in Riverdale, and she’s going to be my friend, and sometimes 
Grace is coming to see us.” 

“I hope there are lots of fellows there,” said Tommy. 
“I want to play ball.” 

“That’s all you think of,” retorted Nellie. 


TOMMY MOVES AWAY 


i9 


“Children, aren’t you coming down to help?” called 
Mrs. Tiptop from the foot of the stairs, for brother and 
sister were in their rooms, changing their clothes, and calling 
to one another through the walls. 

Once the shock of learning that he was going to move 
away from Millton — where he had lived all his life — had 
passed away, Tommy rather liked the idea of the change. 
He felt that it was quite an important event to move, and he 
began to plan how he would set about organizing his base- 
ball nine. 

“I guess I’ll call my nine the Riverdale Roarers,” he 
decided as he slipped on his old trousers. “If we could get 
jackets with ‘R. R.’ on, they’d look fine. I’m going to ask 
ma if I can.” 

But when he got downstairs he found his father there, 
and listened to what his parents were talking about. 

“The moving vans will be here the first thing in the 
morning,” explained Mr. Tiptop, “and the man says we 
needn’t bother to pack much besides the dishes and the 
kitchen things. They will attend to the rest. Hello, 
Tommy, how will you like it?” 

“All right, I guess, pa, if I can play ball.” 

“Oh, you can play ball, I think. But now, come on. I 
want you to help me nail up some boxes.” 

“Then Nellie must wrap paper on the pictures,” decided 
Mrs. Tiptop. And from then on there was a busy time in 
that house. 

When the supper hour arrived, considerable packing had 
been done, and then, after the meal, they did more, so that 
by night they were almost ready for the vans. 

Tommy dreamed that he was playing ball inside of one 
of the big padded wagons, and that he tried to run around 


20 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


the bases, carrying a chair in one hand and a big platter in 
the other. Then someone shouted: 

“Tommy, Tommy! Get up!” 

“All right, I’m going to slide for home!” he answered, 
for he imagined it was one of his baseball companions 
shouting to him. Then he awakened and realized that it 
was his father calling to him to get up. 

“Hurry!” said Mr. Tiptop. “The vans will soon be 
here, and we must get through with breakfast.” 

“And no school to-day!” cried Tommy in delight, as he 
hopped out of bed. 

The confusion, which had started the evening before, 
was worse now, for everything seemed upset. Mrs. Tiptop 
managed to get a simple breakfast, and then there came a 
rumbling noise outside the house. 

“It’s the vans!” cried Tommy, running to a window. 
“Hurry! Now for some fun! Whoopi” 

“Now, don’t get in the men’s way,” advised Mr. Tiptop, 
as he went out to speak to the movers. 

Then began an even more busy time. The men came 
into the house, looked over the things to be put in the vans, 
and began carrying out the piano and other heavy articles. 

“I’m going to help!” cried Tommy, as he seized a chair 
and started out with it. 

“Tommy! Tommy!” cried his mother. “That’s too 
heavy for you!” 

“No, ma, it isn’t,” he answered, as he thought of how 
he had often carried heavy logs when the boys were mak- 
ing a bonfire. “I can manage it.” 

He went out with the chair to the vans, narrowly escap- 
ing a collision with two men carrying a big bureau. 

“Look out, youngster,” advised one of the men as they 


TOMMY MOVES AWAY 


21 


came out of the van after having put the bureau inside. 
“You might get stepped on.” 

“By one of the horses?” asked Tommy, anxiously. 

“Well, no, not exactly,” replied the man. “I meant by 
one of us. I wouldn’t mean to step on you, of course,” he 
said; “but I’ve got powerful big feet, an’ when I steps on 
anything something generally happens — not always, but 
generally. Of course I wouldn’t want to step on you, but I 
might do it, accidental like,” and the man lifted up his foot 
and looked at it as though deciding what he would step on 
next. And, truly, it was a very big foot in a very large shoe. 
Tommy did not like the appearance of it, and yet the man 
seemed kind. 

“Just don’t get in the way, so’s you’ll get stepped on, 
youngster, that’s all I advise you,” went on the man, and 
Tommy promised that he would be careful. After that, 
when he carried out chairs and light pieces of furniture, he 
always looked to see if the man with the big feet was at a 
safe distance. 

The moving men, even the one who was afraid he would 
step on Tommy, were good-natured, and they worked well. 
Nellie was helping her mother, and Mr. Tiptop was very 
busy also. Tommy was carrying out a wash-bench, when 
several of his boy friends came along the street. 

“What’s up?” asked Sammie Small. 

“Moving. Going to Riverdale,” replied Tommy, 
proudly. 

“Aren’t you coming to school?” asked Patsie Cook. 

“Nope!” 

“Say, I wish we were moving,” added Dan Danforth. 
“Want any help, Tommy?” he asked, hopefully, thinking 
this would be an excuse for him to stay away from school. 

“Now, you boys run along,” advised one of the moving 


22 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


men, “or you might get stepped on,” and once more he 
looked at his big feet, raising one after the other slowly, as 
if to make sure he had not left any of them in the van by 
mistake. 

“Say, it’s too bad you’re going to move away, Tommy,” 
spoke Dan. “Just when the baseball season is starting, too.” 

“Oh, I’m going to organize a nine in Riverdale,” said 
Tommy, as if he had organized ball teams all his life. 

“You are?” cried Patsie. 

“Sure!” 

“Then maybe we’ll get up a team and play you,” went 
on Dan. “It isn’t far to Riverdale.” 

“I wish you would,” said Tommy. “It will be great 
sport. Say, now I’ve got to help carry out some more 
chairs. Good-by, fellows, if I don’t see you again.” 

They all called good-by to Tommy and hurried on to 
school, looking back regretfully. 

At last all the things in the house had been packed in 
the vans and the men were ready to drive off with them. 

“Everything out?” asked the head mover of Mr. Tip- 
top. 

“I guess so,” he answered. “I’ll take a trolley car, and 
I think we’ll be there ahead of you. It’s only about a ten- 
mile drive to Riverdale. I’m glad nothing got broken.” 

“And I’m glad nobody got stepped on,” said the man 
with the big feet, as he looked first at Tommy and then at 
his own large shoes. “I’m real glad of that.” 

Then Tommy had an idea, as he saw the head mover 
climbing to the big seat, high up on the van. 

“Can’t I ride with him?” asked Tommy, pointing to the 
man. “I don’t want to go in the trolley. It’s no fun. Let 
me ride on the wagon, mamma.” 


t 


1 



“Moving; Going to Riverdale,” Replied Tommy; 

Proudly . 

23 



TOMMY MOVES AWAY 


25 

“Shall we?” asked Mrs. Tiptop of her husband, doubt- 
fully. 

“Oh, I guess it will be all right, if he isn’t a bother.” 

“No bother at all,” the head mover assured Mr. Tiptop. 
The man seemed to have taken a liking to Tommy. “I’ll 
look after him,” he went on. “The drive will do him good, 
and there’s no hurry. He’ll be safe.” 

“And there’s no danger of him getting stepped on up 
there, either,” went on the man with the big feet, who 
seemed to worry about treading on someone. 

“Now for some fun!” cried Tommy as he caught up his 
ball and bat, which he had refused to allow to be packed 
with the other things. “I’ll see you in Riverdale!” he 
called to his mother, father and sister, as the head driver 
helped him up to the high seat. 

And then, holding his ball and bat firmly in his arms, 
Tommy waved his hands to those down below. The drivers 
called to their horses, the vans rumbled on, and Mr. and 
Mrs. Tiptop gave one last look toward the house that had 
been their home for so many years. Then they started for 
the trolley that was to take them to Riverdale. 

“Do you play ball?” asked the head driver of Tommy, 
on the seat beside him. 

“Yes, and I’m going to organize a nine in Riverdale.” 

“Good! I’ll come to see you play. I used to like the 
game myself,” and the man cracked his whip in the air. 

So Tommy Tiptop moved away from Millton, and as 
he thought of the new home to which he was going he 
wondered whether he would have a good time there, and 
whether the boys would like baseball as much as he did. 


CHAPTER III 


TOMMY HAS AN ACCIDENT 

“NOW, be careful of yourself, Tommy,” his mother 
stopped to call to him as he sat on the high seat of the 
moving van. “Don’t fall off, and don’t stop on the road. 
We’ll be there ahead of you, and I’ll try and have some- 
thing ready to eat.” 

“All right, mother,” replied Tommy, feeling that he 
was quite an important young man now. “I’ll be careful.” 

“I’ll look after him,” promised the moving man. 

“And nobody will step on him,” added the helper — the 
one with the big feet. 

Then Tommy was fairly started on his journey, and he 
looked down from the high seat, almost wishing that he 
was a van driver, instead of going to be merely a baseball 
player. 

“Are you the captain?” asked the moving man, sud- 
denly. 

“Captain of what?” asked Tommy. 

“Of the baseball nine.” 

“No, I haven’t really got it started yet. You see, I 
don’t know any of the boys in that place we’re going to, but 
if I can get up a team, I may be manager or captain. I 
haven’t decided yet.” 

“Oh,” said the man, and then he laughed, and Tommy 
wondered why. 

“They’re a good team,” said the man after a while. 

26 


TOMMY HAS AN ACCIDENT 


27 


“What team?” asked Tommy quickly. 

“My horses,” replied the moving man. “They can pull 
a heavy load.” 

“Oh, I thought you were speaking about a ball team,” 
said Tommy. “Yes, they’re nice horses.” 

Tommy was so busy thinking of the many things that 
had happened in the last few hours that he did not feel 
much like talking. It hardly seemed possible that it was 
only a short time ago that he had been playing ball with 
his boy friends, and now he was moving away. But it was 
true. 

The van rumbled along the streets until it came to the 
open country, and then it was not so noisy, as the wheels 
rolled along on the soft dirt of the roads. 

“Will we be there by dinner time?” asked Tommy, who 
wondered what one did about meals when it was moving 
day. 

“Oh, yes, we’ll easily be there by noon,” replied the 
man; that is, if we don’t have an accident.” 

“What kind of an accident?” asked Tommy. 

“Oh, a wheel coming off the van, or a horse falling 
down, or something like that.” 

“Did you ever have any accidents?” asked Tommy. 

“A few,” replied the man. “I was a week once getting 
a load two miles.” 

“How did it happen?” 

“Well, you see, we broke an axle, and we had a van 
filled with goods. The man who owned them was in no 
hurry, so we just left them in the wagon, jacked the front 
part up, put on a new axle, and in a week we started off 
again. The blacksmith was so busy, he couldn’t make an 
axle in less than a week.” 

“And did you stay on the van all that while and have 


28 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


nothing to eat?” asked Tommy, wondering what would 
happen if an accident like that should occur now. 

“Bless your heart, no! I took the horses to a stable and 
I went home. When the axle was fixed, the blacksmith 
sent word to me, and I came and finished the moving. I 
couldn’t go a week without eating, you know — nobody 
could.” 

“I guess that’s right,” admitted Tommy, and he felt a 
sort of gnawing pain in his stomach, as if he was even now 
getting hungry. And it was no wonder, for breakfast had 
been eaten very early that morning. 

As the van swayed to and fro over the rather rough 
road, Tommy had to hold tightly to the sides of the seat, 
and with his tall and bat to look after this was not so 
easily done. 

“You’d have done better to have put them in the van,” 
said the moving man, looking at the baseball things. 

“They might have got broken,” said Tommy. 

“Yes, they might,” admitted the man. 

They rode on for some miles. The sun climbed higher 
and higher in the sky, and it seemed to be about noon, and 
still the man did not say that they were near Riverdale. 
The other van — for there had been two of them — was out 
of sight now, having started off a little in advance of the 
one on which our young hero rode. 

“What will we do if we don’t get there in time for 
dinner?” asked Tommy after a while. 

“Oh, we’ll get there,” said the man, confidently. 

Just then the wagon went over a rather large stone, gave 
a lurch and swayed to one side. 

“Look out!” cried the man, pulling on the reins sharply 
and making a grab for Tommy. The lad grasped the side 
of the seat with both hands to save himself from falling, 


TOMMY HAS AN ACCIDENT 


29 


and to do this he had to let go of his ball and bat. They 
both slipped down, and the next instant there was the sound 
of splintering wood. 

“Whoa!” cried the moving man, sharply. “What’s 
that? Is something broken — a wheel?” He pulled in the 
horses, which had almost stopped of their own accord. 

“It isn’t a wheel,” said Tommy. “It’s my bat. A wheel 
ran over it, and it’s broken.” 

“What, the wheel?” cried the man. “Don’t tell me the 
wheel is broken!” 

“No, it’s my bat,” answered Tommy, and he spoke sor- 
rowfully, for he had saved up his spare change for some 
time to buy that bat, and he liked it very much. 

“Oh, your bat!” exclaimed the man. “That’s too bad! 
Wait, I’ll get it for you, and maybe you can mend it.” 

“The ball, too,” exclaimed Tommy. “That fell.” 

“Yes, I see the ball. That rolled to one side and isn’t 
hurt a bit. But that bat — well, maybe you can put some 
wire on it,” and the moving man handed the horse reins to 
Tommy. 

“Do you want me to hold them?” asked the boy. 

“Sure. They’ll stand steady. Just hold the lines from 
slipping, and I’ll get the bat for you.” 

Tommy Tiptop felt very proud as he sat there on the 
high seat, holding the reins of the four horses, and he 
looked over the side to watch the man pick up the ball and 
bat. The ball was found first, for that had merely rolled 
into the dust. Then the man called out: 

“Too bad! The bat is broken in three pieces, and it 
isn’t worth mending. Never mind. I think I’ve got an 
old bat at home, and the next time I’m in Riverdale I’ll 
bring it to you.” 

“Will you, really?” asked Tommy, and he did not feel 


30 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


so sorry now. The man climbed up to the high seat again, 
and, taking the reins, called to the horses. They stepped 
out slowly, for there was quite a hill in front of them, and 
they knew that it would be hard work getting up it. 

“Well, if that’s the only accident we have we’ll be 
lucky,” remarked the moving man as he cracked his whip. 
“This place is a little farther than I thought it was. I 
don’t believe we’re going to make it before one o’clock.” 

“Maybe they won’t save any dinner for me,” exclaimed 
Tommy. 

“Oh, I guess they will. If they don’t, you can have 
some of my lunch. I have a whole pail full, that my wife 
put up for me this morning, and there’s more than I need. 
Don’t worry.” 

They were at the foot of the hill now, and the horses 
settled themselves into the collars to pull the heavy van up 
the slope. 

Suddenly there was a cracking sound, and the van gave 
a lurch. It settled down on one side, as though one of the 
wheels had gone into a hole. 

“Look out!” yelled the man. He grabbed Tommy, and 
only just in time, or our hero would have fallen off. But 
Tommy had a glimpse of what had happened. 

“It’s the wheel this time!” he cried, as the horses came 
to a stop. 

“What about it?” asked the man, as he got ready to go 
down. 

“It came off, and it rolled over in the bushes. It isn’t 
broken, but it came off.” 

“Just my luck!” cried the man. “Talk about accidents, 
and they’re sure to happen. The nut came loose, and the 
wheel rolled off. Is the axle broken? I mean the black 


TOMMY HAS AN ACCIDENT 31 

piece of iron sticking out, that the wheel goes on. Is that 
broken?” 

“No,” reported Tommy, taking another look. “That’s 
all right.” 

“Then it isn’t so bad, if I can find the nut that holds the 
wheel on. We’ll have to look for it. Wait now, I’ll help 
you get down.” 

It was not easy to get oil the high seat of the van, all 
tilted to one side as it was, but they managed it. 

“Now, we’ll see if we can find the nut,” suggested the 
moving man, when he had looked at the axle and made sure 
that it was not broken. It had dug itself away down into 
the dirt of the road, though. 

So Tommy and the man looked all around for the nut, 
but they could not find it. It had probably come off some 
time before the accident happened, and was lying far back 
in the road. 

“I ought to have an extra nut,” went on the man, as he 
poked about in the dust and bushes with a stick. “Now 
I’m in a pretty pickle!” 

“Why, can’t we go on to Riverdale?” asked Tommy. 

“No, not a step. I’ve got to go to the nearest black- 
smith shop and get a nut. We’ll have to give the horses 
their dinners, and let them stay here in the shade,” and the 
man went over and began unhitching the animals. Tommy 
noticed that there were nose-bags filled with hay and oats 
on the back of the van. 

“The horses will have a good dinner and a rest,” said 
the moving man. 

“Yes,” replied Tommy, slowly, “but what about you and 
me? I — I’m afraid I’m hungry!” 

“Shouldn’t blame you a bit,” replied the moving man. 
“I am myself. But don’t worry. I’ve got a big pail full 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


32 

of lunch, and we’ll have a regular picnic here — you and I 
— and then, after we eat, I’ll go see if I can find a black- 
smith shop and get a nut.” 

After putting the nose-bags on the horses’ heads and 
tying the animals to a fence, in the shade of a big tree, the 
moving man got out a big tin dinner pail from under the 
van seat. 

“Now we’ll have a fine meal,” he exclaimed. “My 
wife always puts me up a big lunch when I take moving 
loads out into the country. I know there are sandwiches 
and pie, and I’m pretty sure there are cookies. And in the 
top part of the pail there is, most likely, some rich milk. 
Oh, but we’ll have a fine dinner, even if we did have an 
accident!” 

So he opened the pail. Suddenly he looked into it, as 
though something was the matter. Then he poked his 
fingers down inside the tin. 

“Why — what — what’s the matter?” asked Tommy in 
wonder. 

“Matter!” exclaimed the man. “Matter! Everything is 
the matter! There isn’t a bit of lunch in the pail! Not a 
crumb! I must have taken the wrong pail this morning, for 
I have two. We haven’t a thing to eat, Tommy Tiptop! 
Here are only two empty tin cups in the pail, and my knife 
and fork wrapped up in a napkin! My! This is too bad! 


CHAPTER IV 


TOMMY STARTS HIS NINE 

For a few moments Tommy Tiptop just stood there, 
staring at the moving man. The moving man looked into 
the dinner pail again, as if possibly there might be some- 
thing hidden in it which he had not at first seen. Tommy 
peered over and also looked into the pail. 

“It isn’t any use,” said the moving man with a sigh. 
“There isn’t a thing here — not a thing.” 

“Then we haven’t anything to eat, have we?” asked 
Tommy, faintly. 

“No,” answered the man sadly, as he rattled the two cups 
in the pail. “That is, unless you can chew tin. I know I 
can’t,” he added, with a sigh. 

“Me either,” went on Tommy. Then he looked off 
across the fields toward a large, white farmhouse. Next 
he looked at the horses standing comfortably in the shade, 
eating their oats from the bags that hung on their heads. 

“I wish ” began Tommy, and then the moving man 

interrupted him by saying: 

“I do myself, young man. I wish I was a horse, for 
they are getting over being hungry, and I am getting 
hungrier all the while. Is that what you were going to 
say?” 

“Well, I was,” admitted Tommy, slowly. “I was just 
going to say that, and then I happened to think of some- 
thing else to say.” 


33 


34 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“What?” inquired the moving man. “Has it got any- 
thing to do with something to eat?” 

“Yes,” said Tommy, slowly, “it has. I was thinking 
that perhaps if I went over to that house,” and he pointed 
to a white one across the fields, “I might ask for something 
to eat. Then you could be looking for the nut to fasten the 
wheel on, or you could go to the blacksmith shop — that is, 
after I brought you back something to eat.” 

“The very thing!” exclaimed the man. “I wonder I 
didn’t think of that myself.” 

“I could take the empty pail, and the cups,” went on the 
boy, “and if they had milk, I could bring some of that with 
me. I could tell them I wasn’t a tramp, you know, and, if 
they didn’t believe me, I could point to this wagon, and tell 
them it had some of my father’s things in it. Then I guess 
they’d give me some food. Anyhow, I can pay for it!” he 
added quickly, “for I have a quarter my mother gave me 
the other day.” 

“Oh, I guess they won’t want pay,” said the moving man. 
“Country folks aren’t generally that way. And I’m sure 
they wouldn’t take you for a tramp, even if they didn’t see 
my moving wagon.” 

And that was very true, for Tommy was a very nice 
appearing boy, and now, though he did not have on his best 
suit, and though his clothes were a trifle dusty from having 
carried out chairs and other articles, still he looked very 
different from a tramp. 

“I think it would be a good plan for you to go to the 
farmhouse,” went on the moving man, after thinking over 
the matter. “Please tell them that you have a man friend, 
who is very hungry, or otherwise they might give you only 
enough for two boys, you see, and I can eat more than a boy 
can.” 


TOMMY STARTS HIS NINE 


35 


Tommy was sure this was true, for the moving man was 
big and strong, and he felt that if the man’s appetite was 
anything like his own, it must be very good. 

“I’ll be sure to tell them that,” said the baseball-loving 
boy, and then he started off across the fields with the empty 
dinner pail and the cups. 

“I’ll be looking back along the road for the nut of the 
wheel until you get back,” the moving man called after him, 
and Tommy waved his hand to show that he understood. 

It did not take him long to get to the farmhouse. He 
did not quite know whether to go to the front or the back 
door, and he had about made up his mind that, as he was 
begging for food, the back door would be the better place. 

“Besides, it’s nearer the kitchen,” thought Tommy. 

And then he happened to see a side door, and he decided 
that perhaps that would be better. He was just going up 
the steps when a dog, that he had not seen before, ran 
around the corner of the house, barking loudly. 

Now, Tommy knew something about dogs, for he had 
once had one of his own, though it was only a puppy. And 
he remembered that his mother had often said to him that 
if a dog should come at him the best plan was to stand still, 
and not run, for in that case the dog would certainly run 
after him. 

So Tommy boldly stood his ground, and then the dog, 
which had continued to bark all the while, stood still and 
looked at him. 

“Good boy!” called Tommy, at the same time snapping 
his fingers. “Good old boy! What’s the matter now, eh? 
You don’t look as if you would bite!” 

Then the dog began to wag its tail, and Tommy knew 
there was no more danger, for the animal was sniffing in a 


36 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

friendly fashion at the boy’s legs. He knocked on the door, 
and it was opened by a pleasant-faced lady. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed at the sight of Tommy. “Did the 
dog bother you? Towser, behave yourself! I don’t believe 
I want to buy anything to-day,” she went on, looking from 
the dog to Tommy. 

“If you please, I’m not selling anything,” answered our 
hero. “I came to ask if I could have something to eat for 
the moving man and myself. He is very hungry and so am 
I, and, if you please, I was to specially remind you that he 
was a man, and I’m a boy.” 

He held out the empty pail. 

“Bless and save us!” exclaimed the lady. “What in the 
world are you talking about, and who is the moving man?” 

“Oh, I forgot to answer your other question,” said 
Tommy. “No, ma’am, the dog didn’t bother me. He 
made friends. But the moving man is over there, where you 
can see the wagon,” and he pointed to it. “The horses are 
eating their dinner, but we haven’t any, for the man picked 
up the wrong pail by mistake when he came to move us this 
morning. We’re going to live in Riverdale, and the wheel 
came off our wagon.” And then Tommy told all about the 
accident, how his bat had been broken, and how he hoped 
to start a baseball nine. 

“Aren’t you too young to play ball?” asked the lady. 

“I’m ten, going on to eleven,” proudly answered Tommy, 
“and I’ve been playing ball for nearly two years now. I’m 
going to be the captain,” and then, thinking perhaps the 
lady might have forgotten about the food, he gently rattled 
the dinner pail. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed with a laugh, “you want some- 
thing to eat. Come in.” 

Talking while she got out food from the cupboard, and 


TOMMY STARTS HIS NINE 


37 

asking questions about himself and his family, the lady soon 
had a nice lunch ready for Tommy to take back with him. 

“I think the moving man will have enough, even for his 
big appetite,” she said, “and I will put some milk in the 
top part of the pail. You can use the cups from which to 
drink. And, if you can’t find the nut to hold the wheel on, 
perhaps there might be one in the barn that could be used. 
I know what it is to have your goods delayed, and your 
mamma will be worried if you don’t soon get to the new 
house. Tell the moving man to look in our barn for a 
wheel nut.” 

“I will,” promised Tommy, and thanked her for her 
kindness. And, after he had gotten back to the wagon, and 
he and his new friend had eaten the fine lunch which the 
lady had put in the pail, that is exactly what the moving 
man did. He found in the barn a nut that just fitted the 
wheel axle, and it is a good thing that he did, for it is very 
doubtful if he could have gotten the one that was lost. He 
also got a thing called a “jack” from the barn, for he had 
to have this to lift up the wagon, so the wheel could be 
slipped on the axle. 

“There, I guess we’re ready to go on now,” said the man 
as he tightened the nut. “We’ve only lost about an hour.” 

Off they started, and Tommy was very glad, for he was 
afraid that his mother would worry. And, had he only 
known it, Mrs. Tiptop was very much alarmed when, after 
she and her husband and daughter had arrived at the new 
house, and had waited for some time, Tommy did not come. 
The other wagon-load of goods got there, and the driver of 
it said he had not seen the vehicle on which Tommy had 
started to ride to Riverdale; that is, not since it had started. 

“Oh, I’m sure some accident has happened!” exclaimed 
Mrs. Tiptop. “Oh, this is dreadful!” 


3 S TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

“Don’t worry,” advised her husband. “That was a very 
heavy load of goods, and perhaps the horses had to go 
slowly up the hills. If it doesn’t come soon, I’ll get a car- 
riage and drive back along the road. But I’m sure it will 
come. Now we must see to getting the things put into the 
house from the wagon that is here.” 

And it wasn’t very long after that before the delayed 
wagon, with Tommy up on the high seat, came rumbling 
along, and there was no further need of worrying. 

“What in the world happened?” called Mrs. Tiptop, 
and Tommy told her everything, even to how he had made 
friends with the barking dog. 

“But I’m sorry about my bat,” he added. “I may want 
to play ball this afternoon, and I haven’t a bat!” 

“I guess you won’t have much chance to play ball this 
afternoon,” replied his father with a laugh. “But here, 
Tommy, is a quarter. You can go buy a new bat, and don’t 
get lost, for you don’t know the streets of this town yet.” 

“A quarter bat! That’s fine!” exclaimed the lad. “The 
one that got run over was only a fifteen-cent one. Say, now 
I will have a good ball team!” And he hurried off to find 
a store where baseball goods were kept. 

It was when he was going along the street, swinging 
the bat around in the air, and wondering how far he could 
knock a ball with it, that Tommy saw two boys, of about his 
own age, walking slowly ahead of him. 

“I wonder who they are?” he mused. “I’d like to 
know them. Maybe they play ball. School must be out,” 
he added, as he saw some books slung in a strap across the 
shoulder of one boy. “I’m going to speak to them,” 
Tommy went on. “I’ll get to know them in school, any- 
how, and I might as well begin now.” 


TOMMY STARTS HIS NINE 


39 

So he hurried along, until he had caught up to the boys, 
and then he exclaimed: 

“Say, do you play ball?” 

“Play ball?” repeated the taller of the two, looking 
curiously at Tommy. “Who are you, anyhow?” 

“Oh, I’m a new boy. I’ve just moved here. I want 
to get up a ball nine. My name is Tommy Tiptop. I just 
got this new bat. My old one was run over by the moving 
wagon. Don’t you fellows want to be on my nine?” 

“Your nine?” asked the other boy, who had very black 
and snapping eyes. “Since when have you had a nine?” 

“I’m just getting up one,” went on Tommy. “I thought 
maybe you would like to join. Do you belong to one 
now?” 

“No, neither of us do,” put in the boy who had spoken 
first. “My name is Teddy Bunker,” he added in more 
friendly tones. 

“And mine is Billie Ruggler,” said his companion. 
“Let’s see the bat.” 

Tommy handed it over, and both his newly made 
acquaintances tested it, tapping it on the pavement and 
swinging it in the air. 

“It’s a good one, all right,” was Billie’s opinion. 

“A dandy!” agreed Teddy. 

“It cost a quarter,” spoke Tommy, proudly. “Say, 
now, will you join a nine if I get one up? I’m sure I 
can.” 

“Why, yes, I’d like to belong,” answered Teddy, slowly. 

“So would I,” came from Billie. “I can’t play very 
good, though.” 

“Oh, we’ll have to have practice,” agreed Tommy. 
“And maybe the fellows from Millton, where we moved 
from, will come over and play us some day:” 


40 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Where can we play?” asked Billie. “There’s only one 
ball field in town, and the big fellows use that. They 
never allow us on it.” 

“Oh, we’ll have a diamond of our own,” declared 
Tommy. “We can fix up some vacant lot. Anything will 
do for a start. I guess some man will let us play in his lot, 
and maybe w T e can get enough money for a back-stop and 
uniforms. That would be dandy!” 

“Where’d we get the money?” asked Teddy. 

“Earn it,” came quickly from Tommy. “Cut grass, run 
errands, and things like that. We can do it! Say, do you 
know any other fellows we can get to join the nine? We 
need six more.” 

“Yes, I guess we can find some,” answered Teddy, and 
then, as another lad came suddenly around the corner of 
the street — a lad taller and stronger than either of the three 
— Billie interrupted by calling: 

“Look out, here comes Jakie Norton!” 

Before Tommy could ask who Jakie was, and why his 
two companions seemed to be afraid of the newcomer, for 
they certainly acted as though they disliked him, Jakie 
strode up to him and roughly took the bat out of his hands. 

“Let’s see that,” spoke the tall lad in rather surly tones. 
“Humph! A new one, eh?” and he tapped it sharply on 
the pavement. “Say, what does a little chap like you want 
of a bat like this? It’s too good! Guess I’ll take it,” and 
then, tucking the new bat under his arm, Jakie hurried off. 

“Say, that’s mean!” exclaimed Teddy in a low voice. 

“He’s always doing things like that,” added Billie. 
“Once he took all my marbles.” 

Tommy was so surprised for a moment that he did not 
know what to do. He thought it was only a joke, and that 
Jakie would soon return with the bat and laugh with them. 



Jakie Strode Up to Him and Roughly Took the 

Bat Out of His Hands . 


41 


TOMMY STARTS HIS NINE 43 

But the big boy seemed to have no such intention. Then 
Tommy started after him. 

“Where are you going?” asked Teddy. 

“I’m going to get my bat!” 

“Don’t interfere with Jakie,” advised Billie. “He’s real 
mean, and he’s a bad fighter. Better let him go.” 

“Let him go? With my new bat? Not much!” ex- 
claimed Tommy. “I’m going to take it away from him.” 
And he set off on the run, while his two new friends looked 
after him with wonder, fear and admiration on their faces. 


CHAPTER V 


TOMMY MAKES A RUN 

“Say, that new boy has nerve!” exclaimed Teddy, ad- 
miringly. 

“Yes,” began Billie, “but if Jakie gets mad, he’ll hit 
him, and ” 

By this time Tommy had nearly caught up to the boy 
who had his bat, and Jakie, wondering at the footsteps 
behind him, turned around. Billie was so interested in 
what he feared was going to happen, that he did not finish 
the sentence he had started. 

“Well, what do you want?” asked Jakie, sneeringly, as 
he faced our hero. 

“My bat, and I’m going to have it, too!” exclaimed 
Tommy, determinedly. 

“Go on away, and don’t bother me! You’re too little 
for a bat. I’m going to keep this one, and I may let you 
play with it sometimes.” 

Jakie turned and was about to walk off, but, to his sur- 
prise, as well as to the wonder of Teddy and Billie, Tommy 
stepped directly in front of the bully, who was head and 
shoulders taller than he. 

“That’s my bat, and I’m going to have it!” exclaimed 
Tommy, sharply. “You can’t play that kind of a trick on 
me, if I have just moved to town! If you don’t give me 
that bat right away, I’ll find out where you live, and my 
father will come and see your father about it.” 

44 


TOMMY MAKES A RUN 


45 


“Don’t worry me!” sneered the bully. “I’m going to 
keep the bat. Run along now!” 

“I will not!” cried Tommy, and then, with such a quick 
motion that there was no chance to stop him, he snatched 
the bat from under the bully’s arm. Then, instead of run- 
ning away, as many boys would have done under the cir- 
cumstances, Tommy stood facing the other lad. 

“Well, you have got nerve!” exclaimed Jakie. “I’ve a 
good notion to punch your head!” 

“Don’t you dare touch me!” said Tommy, quietly, and 
there was something in his voice that made the other hesi- 
tate. “You had no right to take my bat. I said I’d get it 
back, and I did, and I want you to let me alone. I’m not 
a bit afraid of you!” 

Tommy had a firm grip on his bat, and, though his heart 
was beating rather fast, he made up his mind that he would 
fight with all his strength to retain his property. 

“Say, he’s all right!” exclaimed Teddy, admiringly. 
“Let’s go help him. I like a fellow that does things!” 

“So do I!” agreed Billie. “The three of us ought to be 
able to stand up to that mean Jakie.” 

“Of course we can! Come on,” and the two started on 
the run toward Tommy and his enemy. Tommy heard 
them coming, but did not turn his head to look at them. 
He was eyeing the bully, ready for anything that might 
happen. Jakie saw Teddy and Billie approaching, and he 
also saw that they meant to do something. He realized that 
he would be no match for three determined boys, even if 
he was taller and stronger than any one of them. 

Besides, Tommy looked as if he could give a pretty 
good account of himself alone, and he had a stout ash bat 
in his hands that would be an effective weapon in an 
encounter. 


46 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

“I was only fooling,” said Jakie finally, laughing a bit, 
but he did not seem in a very jolly mood. “I’d have given 
your bat back, after a bit.” 

“I’d have got it back, anyhow,” retorted Tommy, “and 
I’ve got it now. If you bother me again, I’ll tell your 
father on you.” 

“That’s right,” added Teddy, coming up just then. 
“We are going to stick up for him, too!” 

“Say, you think you’re a regular team, don’t you?” 
sneered Jakie. “Don’t give me any of your back talk! 
I’ll fix you fellows some day, if you don’t look out.” He 
spoke the last roughly. 

“Huh! You started this!” came from Billie. 

“Yes, he acts as though we did something,” added 
Tommy. And then, having gained all that he needed, our 
hero turned away, his two chums joining him on either side. 

“Say, you’re all right!” exclaimed Billie, clapping 
Tommy on the back. 

“Weren’t you afraid?” asked Teddy, when they were 
out of Jakie’s hearing. 

“Yes, I was,” admitted Tommy, slowly, “but I wasn’t 
going to let him know it. Does he often do things like 
that?” 

“Lots of times,” declared Teddy. “He’s one of the 
meanest boys in town.” 

“Then we won’t ask him to join our nine,” said Tommy. 
“Say, can’t you fellows come down to my house?” 

“Where do you live?” asked Billie. 

“I don’t know the name of the street, but it’s a big 
yellow house, and there’s a yard in front. There’s a drug 
store on the corner.” 

“Oh, that’s Wickerham Street,” said Teddy. “I know 
the house you mean.” 


TOMMY MAKES A RUN 


47 


“Yes, the Perkins family used to live there,” went on 
Billie. “But I can’t come now. I have to go home first.” 

“So do I,” added his companion. 

“Well, come over when you can,” invited Tommy, “and 
we’ll talk about baseball.” 

The boys promised, and Tommy hastened home to get 
a ball and practice with his new bat. The things were 
nearly all moved into the house by now, and Tommy 
thought to help by carrying in a few small articles left on 
the sidewalk. The movers were preparing to leave. 

“There he is again!” exclaimed the man with the big 
feet. “Say, youngster, would you mind keeping out of my 
way?” he asked, pleasantly. 

“Don’t you want me to help?” inquired Tommy. 

“No, I’d rather not. You see, I haven’t had any acci- 
dents to-day, and I don’t want one to happen at the last 
minute. I might step on you, you see. I wouldn’t want 
to, of course, but look there,” and the man held up one of 
his big feet. 

“It’s big, and I’m heavy,” he went on, “and when I do 
step on anything, I just naturally squash it! Can’t seem to 
help it,” he added. “Now, I haven’t stepped on anybody 
during this moving, and I don’t want to. So, if it’s just 
the same to you, I’d rather you wouldn’t get in the way. 
It’s hard to look where I’m stepping when I’m carrying 
things in front of me, and I surely wouldn’t step on you on 
purpose, but — well, look out! You’d better trot along and 
play ball until I get out of the way.” 

“All right,” agreed Tommy, with a laugh. “I’ll go in 
the house and see if I can help my mother.” 

He found both his mother and father very busy, and a 
woman had been hired to come in and help, so that 
Tommy’s aid was not needed. 


48 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

“Go out and play,” advised his father, “but stay within 
call. I’ll want you to go to the store and get something 
for supper pretty soon. Nellie, you go out and play, too.” 

“No, I’m going up to my room,” said Tommy’s sister. 
“Oh, I’ve got the loveliest room!” she went on to her 
brother. “I can see away over the fields to the school. At 
least, it looks like a school.” 

“Where’s my room?” demanded Tommy, thinking of 
the apartment for the first time. “Have I got a good one?” 

“You can have your choice of two,” put in his mother. 
“There is a small one on the second floor, or a big one in 
the attic, and ” 

“I want the one in the attic!” said Tommy, quickly. 
“I’m going to make a den of it, and sometimes can I have 
the boys up there?” 

“Boys? Have you met some boys already?” asked his 
father, with a laugh. 

“Sure. Billie Ruggler and Teddy Bunker. They’re 
going to belong to my nine. Here they come now!” sud- 
denly exclaimed Tommy, glancing through the window. 
“And they’ve got another fellow with them. I’m going to 
have a catch, anyhow, if we can’t play a regular game,” 
and then, forgetting all about his new room, Tommy hur- 
ried out to meet his new friends. 

“This is Herbert Kress,” said Billie, introducing their 
companion. “This is the fellow I was telling you about,” 
he went on, pointing at Tommy. “He took his bat away 
from Jakie Norton, and Jakie didn’t dare grab it back.” 

“If he’d tried it, he’d have had a lively tussle with all of 
us,” predicted Teddy. “We were ready fbr him.” 

“Come on and have a catch,” proposed Tommy. “Will 
you join our new nine?” he asked of Herbert. 


TOMMY MAKES A RUN 


49 

“Sure. I’ll be glad to, but I don’t know much about 
the game. We boys never had a team before.” 

“Then it’s time you did!” declared Tommy, with a 
laugh. “I’ll start one. We’ll have some fun. Know any 
other fellows who’ll join?” 

“I guess so,” replied Teddy, while Herbert said in a 
low voice to Billie: r 

“Say, this Tommy Tiptop certainly does things, doesn’t 
he?” 

“Yes; I’m glad he moved to town,” replied Billie, 
eagerly. 

“There’s Joie Grubb!” called Teddy, as the boys stood 
in Tommy’s front yard. A very fat boy was walking 
slowly on the other side of the street. 

“Does he play ball?” asked Tommy, quickly. “Call 
him over.” 

“Hey, Joie!” shouted Billie. “Come on over and meet 
a new fellow. We’re going to have a ball nine.” 

Joie came over slowly and was introduced to Tommy. 

“Do — do you mind if I sit down?” asked Joie, wiping 
his fat face with his handkerchief. “It’s getting hot.” 

“Good baseball weather/’ commented Tommy. “Do 
you play?” 

“No. I’m too fat, I guess. Anyhow, that’s what Jakie 
Norton said.” 

“It’ll do you good to play ball,” advised Tommy. “You 
won’t be so fat, then.” 

“Say, you ought to see what happened to Jakie Norton 
to-day,” spoke Billie. And he told of the trouble about the 
bat. 

“Oh, say, if we’re going to play, come on,” begged 
Tommy. “There are five of us, and we can play ‘two-o’- 
cat,’ with two batters, a catcher and a pitcher, and one fel- 


5 ° 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


low to chase the balls. We’ll draw lots to see who does 
the chasing, who pitches and who catches.” 

“That’s the way to do it!” declared Joie. “I hope I 
don’t have to do any chasing,” he added, with a laugh. 
Tommy liked Joie from the start — in fact, most boys did — 
for he was jolly and good-natured, and he didn’t in the least 
mind being called “Fatty.” 

Luckily for himself, Joie was one of the batters. Tommy 
took a number of blades of grass in his hand and let the 
other boys draw them. The one who got the shortest was 
to be the runner, and the one who had the next in size the 
catcher, then the pitcher, aad then those who had the two 
longest blades were to be at bat first. Joie and Teddy were 
the first batters. 

Next to the house into which Tommy’s parents had 
moved was a vacant lot, and it was there that the boys went 
to play ball. Stones served for bases, and the rear fence 
was the back-stop. 

It was a simple game that the boys played, with only 
one base to run to, and there were hardly any rules. If 
the batter knocked a fly, and it was caught, he was out, 
while if he missed hitting two of the balls that were tossed 
to him, he was also out. 

They had a good time, and soon it was Tommy’s turn 
to bat. 

“Here’s where I get a home run!” he cried as he stood 
up to home plate, a round piece of red sandstone. “Give 
me a good ball, Joie,” for the fat boy had been advanced 
to pitcher, after having gotten out on an easy fly ball that 
only popped up a little way into the air. 

The ball came slowly toward him, and Tommy swung 
his new bat at it with all his strength. Away the ball went, 


TOMMY MAKES A RUN 


sailing high over the head of Teddy Bunker, who was 
doing the running. 

“Come on!” cried Billie, who, with Tommy, made up 
the batting force. “Make a home run!” 

“Sure!” shouted Tommy, as he raced for the stone that 
marked the first and only base. 

He reached it safely, touched it with his foot and then 
started back for home plate. Just as he got there, and 
while Billie was capering about in delight, there came a 
crash of glass. 

“Oh, my! Good night!” shouted Joie. 

a What’s the matter?” asked Tommy. 

“We’ve broken a window in your house,” said the 
fat pitcher. And this was but too true. Teddy Bunker 
had thrown the ball to home with such force that it went 
over the fence and crashed through the glass of one of the 
parlor windows of the house into which Tommy had just 
moved. 


CHAPTER VI 


TOMMY UPSETS A BULL 

After the crash of the glass there came silence. The 
boys were waiting for something to happen. They knew 
what always followed the breaking of a window on the few 
occasions when such a calamity had occurred. 

“I — I didn’t mean to do that!” exclaimed Teddy, sor- 
rowfully. 

“Of course not!” agreed Tommy, quickly. 

Mrs. Tiptop looked out of the door at that moment. 

“Who did that, Tommy?” she asked, gently. 

“We did, mother. It was an accident. I made a home 
run, and Teddy was throwing, to try and get me out. Is it 
badly broken?” 

“Well, it couldn’t be much worse,” she replied, with a 
queer little smile. “But, then, I’m glad no one was hurt. 
You boys will have to be more careful, though. Can’t you 
find some place to play that isn’t so close to the house?” 

“We’re going to, as soon as we can get our nine made 
up,” answered Tommy, eagerly, glad that his mother was 
not angry. 

“Say, we’ll pay for that window,” said Teddy in a 
hoarse whisper. “We’ll chip in and ” 

“No, you won’t!” exclaimed Tommy, quickly. “Mom 
won’t mind. Something always happens when you move, 
anyhow, and I know she’ll be gladder of this than if a 

52 


Tommy upsets a bull 


53 

looking-glass was broken. You don’t want us to pay for 
that, do you, momsey?” he called. 

“Oh, no, of course not, dear,” she answered. “It 
couldn’t be helped. But please be more careful next time. 
I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to go to the store now, 
Tommy, and get something for supper,” she added. 

“We’ll go with you!” put in Joie, eagerly. “We don’t 
mind stopping the game. Anyhow, I’m tired, and it’s still 
hot.” 

“Sure we’ll stop,” agreed Teddy. “But I think we 
ought to pay for that window.” 

“No,” said Tommy, firmly. “Mother knows what’s 
right.” 

“Say, she’s all right, your mother is!” exclaimed Herbert 
Kress. “I remember once we broke a window in Mrs. 
Delafield’s house, and I had to save up for two weeks to 
pay my share. And there was a circus coming to town, 
too. I didn’t go.” 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to look for some other place 
to play,” decided Tommy. “Do you fellows mind coming 
to the store with me? I don’t know much about the town 
yet.” 

“Sure we’ll come,” declared Billie. 

“Glad of the chance,” added Teddy. 

“You had better stop at the glass-man’s, and ask him to 
come and put in a new window pane,” suggested Mrs. 
Tiptop, when she gave Tommy the money to get some gro- 
ceries. “It won’t matter much to-night, as it isn’t cold, 
and I can paste a paper over the broken pane.” 

“I’ll do it when I come back,” offered Tommy. 

On the way to the store the boys talked excitedly of 
many things, from the accident that had happened on the 


54 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


moving wagon, and about which Tommy told them, to the 
breaking of the window. 

“We want about four more fellows to make up the 
nine,” said Tommy. “Can’t you ask them to come around 
to-morrow? We can meet at my house. I guess I won’t 
go to school until the first of next week, and that will give 
me time to get this ball nine in shape.” 

“Are you really going to have one?” asked Herbert. 

“Certainly I am. All of us fellows here will be on it,” 
and Tommy looked at his four new chums. 

“I guess Mortimer Manchester would join,” said Teddy. 

“And Frank Bonder,” added Billie. 

“George Pennington is a good player,” suggested Teddy, 
“and I guess Sammie Sandlass will join.” 

“He’s the boy with red hair that lives on Parker Street, 
i?n’t he?” asked Herbert. 

“Yes, and he’s got a new baseball.” 

“Then we want him,” decided Tommy, quickly. “We’ll 
need a good ball, and we’ve got one bat, the one I just 
bought. It will take quite a while to get an outfit, but I 
guess we can do it.” 

“Where can we play, though?” asked Joie Grubb, 
doubtfully, as he puffed along with the others. 

“What’s the matter with Mr. Bashford’s lot?” suddenly 
asked Teddy. “It’s plenty big enough, and it’s good and 
level. I’m sure he’d let us use it if we asked him.” 

“It’s too far out,” said Billie. 

“It only takes about ten minutes to get there, and we 
wouldn’t break any windows,” went on Teddy. 

“Where is it?” asked Tommy, and the others told him 
how to get to the lot by following the main street out to the 
old flour mill, and then turning down a country lane. 


TOMMY UPSETS A BULL 


55 

“I’ll go look at it to-morrow,” decided our hero, “and 
I’ll ask Mr. Bashford if we can use it.” 

“Say, it takes you to do things!” exclaimed Herbert. 

“Oh, P like to keep busy,” declared Tommy; and then 
the lads talked more baseball, until they reached the 
grocery. On the way they passed the now empty moving 
vans which had brought the Tiptop goods to town. The 
man on the one on which Tommy had ridden waved his 
hand to the lad, and the man with the big feet, who was on 
the other wagon, shouted: 

“It’s all right, youngster. I didn’t step on anybody 
to-day, and I’m mighty glad of it, ’cause when I do step I 
generally squashes something. Good-by!” 

“Good-by,” answered Tommy, with a laugh. 

The household arrangements were rather upset for the 
Tiptops that night, as they always are the first day of a 
moving. But Mrs. Tiptop managed to get a good supper, 
and all went to bed early. Tommy was delighted with his 
room in the attic, and he fell asleep thinking of how he 
could decorate it, and have a boys’ club meet there. 

“Will you need me, mother?” he asked the next morn- 
ing. “Can I help you settle?” 

“No; you might as well run out and play,” she answered. 
“I might step on you if you were around,” she added, with 
a laugh, as she imitated the voice of the moving man with 
the big feet. “Nellie will help me,” she added, “and I 
have a scrub-woman coming in. Where are you going?” 

“To see Mr. Bashford, and ask him if we can use his 
lot for the ball nine.” 

“Well, don’t be late for dinner. Your papa comes home 
at twelve. He said he’d see about sending you to school on 
Monday. You had better stop at that glass-man’s on your 


5 6 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

way, and tell him to please be sure and send somebody to 
fix the broken window to-day.” 

“I will, and after this there won’t be any danger. We 
are going to play a good ways off from houses.” 

“Perhaps you can’t get the lot.” 

“Oh, I think I can.” 

It did not take Tommy long to get to the Bashford 
meadow. 

“Say, that will be fine!” he exclaimed to himself. “If 
we can only get money enough to put up a back-stop, and 
buy some more bats and balls, we’ll have a dandy baseball 
nine. Guess I’ll go over in the field and see where would 
be a good place for home plate. Mr. Bashford won’t 
mind, I think,” for he had not yet seen the owner of the lot. 

Tommy was pacing about in the big field, trying to 
decide which would be the best way to lay out the diamond, 
when he heard a scream behind him — a scream in a girl’s 
shrill voice. 

Turning quickly, he saw a big black bull, that had evi- 
dently leaped over the fence of an adjoining field, rushing 
toward a small girl wearing a red dress. She stood still, 
close to the fence. 

“He’ll horn her, sure!” gasped Tommy, as the girl 
screamed again. The bull let out a bellow of rage. and 
came on faster than before. 

“I’ve got to do something!” decided Tommy, quickly. 
Then he saw where there were several loose rails of the 
fence. He ran over, grabbed up one of the lightest of the 
sticks, and then raced to get between the bull and the little 
girl. She was too frightened to run, and stood there, 
crying and screaming, awaiting the rush of the maddened 
animal, who was snorting and bellowing, made frenzied by 
the sight of the scarlet cloth of her dress. 



Heels Over Head Went the Maddened Animal . 

57 




% 


# 


TOMMY UPSETS A BULL 


59 

“Run! Run!” cried Tommy. “Don’t stand there! Run 
and crawl under the fence!” 

The girl did not seem to hear, or else she did not dare 
move. Tommy raced on, scarcely knowing what he was 
going to do. 

A moment later he was in front of the girl, and was 
bravely facing the bull that, with a snort of rage, had stood 
still, to eye the new foe that had so suddenly appeared 
before him. 

“Run and get under the fence!” cried Tommy again. 
“I’ll stop him from hurting you.” 

He held the fence rail in readiness. 

“Oh! oh!” gasped the girl. “I’m — I’m so afraid. You 
— you ” 

“Never mind me!” interrupted Tommy. “Run, I tell 
you! Run! Crawl under the fence!” 

The girl turned and raced for safety. In a moment she 
was in the other field. Then, as though angered at losing 
a chance to toss the creature who wore the red dress, the 
animal came on for Tommy. The lad hardly knew what to 
do, for he realized that, even with the stick, he could not 
hope to stop the rush of the brute. 

Then, from somewhere behind him, Tommy heard a 
man’s hoarse voice crying: 

“Look out, youngster! That’s a mad bull! Run for 
your life! Throw that stick at him and run! You can get 
to the fence first. Run!” 

Tommy did not turn to see who was speaking to him. 
The bull was now very close, and, taking the advice of the 
man, Tommy threw the stick with all his force. 

He was just turning to run, when he noticed that the 
fence rail had gone right between the front legs of the bull, 
and an instant later, as the animal suddenly rushed forward, 


6o 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


it tripped and fell heavily, the long stick completely upset- 
ting it. 

Heels over head went the maddened animal, rolling 
toward the boy, but Tommy did not stay longer. With a 
jump he made for the fence, and he reached it, crawling 
under before the bull could regain its feet and take after 
him. 


CHAPTER VII 


TOMMY GOES SWIMMING 

“Well, youngster, you are a smart one! To think you 
upset the bull that way!” exclaimed the man who had called 
to Tommy, and who now stood near him on the other side 
of the fence under which Tommy had crawled to get out of 
the way of the angry animal. 

The little girl with the red dress was also safe, and she 
stood beside the man, crying a little and trembling, for she 
had been very much frightened. 

Tommy himself did not quite know what had happened, 
but he remembered that he had thrown the rail at the bull, 
and that the animal had fallen down, and then the lad had 
run as fast as he could for the fence. 

“Not hurt a bit, are you?” asked the man, anxiously. 

The bull was bellowing away and pawing the ground 
near the fence. 

“No,” answered Tommy, “not a bit. Is the bull hurt?” 

“It would serve him good and right if he was,” replied 
the man. “He’s been awful ugly lately, and I don’t know 
what to do with him. He jumps nearly all the fences. I 
never thought he would get in that field, though. What 
were you doing there?” he asked, turning to the little girl, 
who had stopped crying. 

“I took a short cut across lots to get home,” she an- 
swered, “and I didn’t notice the bull until he was close to 

61 


62 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


me. Then I — I couldn’t seem to run, until this boy got in 
front of me.” 

“Yes, it was a brave thing to do,” said the man, as he 
looked at Tommy. “How did you think to throw that rail 
between his legs and trip him up?” he asked. 

“I didn’t think,” replied Tommy. “It just — just hap- 
pened!” 

“And it’s a good thing it did,” went on the man. He 
looked toward the bull, who was pawing up the dirt, 
stamping his feet and shaking his big head with the ugly- 
looking horns on, while, from time to time, he gave forth a 
low bellow. “I’ll send a couple of hired men and have 
him chained up in the stable. I can’t allow him in the 
fields any more,” he added. 

“Oh, is he your bull?” asked Tommy in surprise. 

“Yes,” answered the man. 

“Then you must be Mr. Bashford,” spoke the boy. “Is 
this your lot? I’m glad I didn’t hurt the bull.” 

“It would not do him any harm to be hurt some,” de- 
clared the man. “He’s too ugly. I guess I’ll sell him. 
Yes, I’m Mr. Bashford.” 

“Then you’re just the man I want to see!” exclaimed 
Tommy. “We boys would like to have this lot for a ball 
field. Would you let us take it — or — or — hire it to us?” he 
added, though he did not know where the money was to 
come from to pay for it. 

“Have my lot for a ball field!” exclaimed Mr. Bash- 
ford, thoughtfully. “Why, we’ve got one ball team in town 
now. Is this a new one?” 

“Yes,” replied Tommy, “it’s my team. I’m going to 
have a nine of boys about my size, only we can’t get any 
place to play. I came down to-day to look at this lot, and 
then I heard this little girl scream, and ” 


TOMMY GOES SWIMMING 63 

“Oh, I’m so glad you made that bull turn a somersault!” 
exclaimed the girl. “He was mean to me!” 

“fes, you want to be careful how you cross the lots, 
Sallie,” said Mr. Bashford. “Run along home now.” 

“All right,” she answered. “My name is Sallie Grubb,” 
she went on to Tommy. 

“Are you Joie Grubb’s sister?” he asked. 

“Yes,” she said, “and I know who you are. Joie told 
me about you. You’re the new boy who’s going to have a 
ball nine.” 

“I am, if we can get a lot to play in,” replied our hero, 
looking at the farmer and smiling. 

“Humph!” exclaimed Mr. Bashford. “I guess after 
what you did to-day I’ll have to let you use the lot. What’s 
your name?” 

Tommy told him, adding something about how he had 
just moved to town, and how he wanted to start a ball nine. 

“Well, you can use the lot,” said Mr. Bashford finally, 
“and I guess I’ll have to lock my bull up. Yes, bellow 
away, old fellow!” he called to the animal. “You won’t 
get a chance to chase little girls much longer. Tell the 
boys they can play here all summer,” went on the farmer. 
“In the fall I may plow up this field, but I won’t do any- 
thing with it right away.” 

“How much rent?” asked Tommy, anxiously. 

“Rent? Not a cent!” said Mr. Bashford, with a laugh. 
“I’ll be glad to see another nine in town. I like baseball. 
You can play here free.” 

Tommy was delighted to hear this, for if they did not 
have to pay anything for the use of the lot there would be 
so much more money to build a back-stop and get balls, bats 
and gloves. 

“Maybe we can even get uniforms!” thought the boy 


64 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

eagerly, as he looked at the big lot where he intended to 
lay out a diamond. “If we could, we’d be a regular nine, 
and could play other teams.” 

“Well, I’m going to get some of my men and have that 
bull locked up,” went on Mr. Bashford. “You children 
had better run along home now, or he may get loose again. 
He’s very bad at jumping fences.” 

“Are you afraid to go home?” asked Tommy of Saliie 
Grubb. 

“Not — not very much,” she replied, hesitatingly. 

“I’ll go with you, anyhow,” he volunteered, “though 
there isn’t any more danger.” 

“Not if you don’t cross the fields,” put in Mr. Bashford. 
“Well, you can use the lot any time you want to,” and 
Tommy, after thanking him, walked away with Saliie, 
while the bull continued to paw the earth and bellow in 
anger. 

Saliie, when she reached home, gave such an account of 
the way that Tommy had made the bull turn head over 
heels that Mrs. Grubb got the idea that Tommy was quite 
a remarkable boy, indeed, whereas the truth was that he 
was just like other boys. But when he saw a thing needed 
doing he did it, and that as soon as he could. 

“I do hope you help my Joie to get thinner,” said Mrs. 
Grubb, when she had heard about the proposed ball nine. 
“He is too fat, altogether.” 

“If he plays ball enough he’ll get thin,” said Tommy, 
with a smile. 

The boys were delighted when they heard of Tommy’s 
success in getting permission to use the lot, and at once base- 
ball activity began in earnest. 

Several of the boys whom Teddy, Billie and Tommy’s 
other new friends had mentioned agreed to join, and, 


TOMMY GOES SWIMMING 65 

though there was no regular team as yet, it looked as if 
there would be one in a short time. 

Tommy planned to hold a meeting and see if he could 
not raise some money, so they could buy more bats, balls, 
gloves and other things needed to play the game. 

The first thing they did was to start work on their new 
diamond in Mr. Bashford’s field. It was cleared of the 
bigger stones, and a large flat one was picked out for home 
plate. Then Tommy got some barrel-heads from his cellar, 
nailed them together, and staked them to the ground to use 
for bases — first, second and third. Next, a place for the 
pitcher to stand was dug out, the base lines were marked by 
taking a hoe and cutting out some of the sod, and then the 
place began to look like a real diamond, though it was 
rather small, for the boys could not run the full length of 
regular bases. 

“If we only had a back-stop!” exclaimed Tommy regret- 
fully one day after school, when he and several others of 
his new friends were working on the field. “That’s what 
we need most now.” 

“Can’t we build one ourselves?” asked Teddy. 

“If we had the boards we might, but lumber costs 
money, and we haven’t hardly any left,” was Tommy’s reply. 

I might explain that each of the boys had a little pocket 
money, and most of this was turned into a general fund. 
With it they bought some gloves, two new balls and a few 
bats. 

“But that’s all we can stand now,” said Tommy. “If 
we can earn more money we’ll have a back-stop, and I guess 
we can. It will soon be summer, and lots of people will 
want their grass cut. We fellows can do it, I think. We 
can use our lawn mower, and before long we may have 


66 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


enough cash to get suits all around. But we’ll play without 
them at first.” 

“Who are we going to play?” asked Joie. 

“Any team our size. I’ll send out some challenges,” 
said Tommy. “Maybe the team from Millton will come 
here. And we’ll play any scrub team that wants to.” 

“What you going to call our team?” inquired Teddy. 

“Oh, we’ll have a meeting and decide on a name,” 
replied the lad who was doing more than anyone else to get 
the boys into a ball nine. “The thing to do now is to get 
the ground in shape.” 

There had been several talks among the lads, who met 
in each other’s houses or in Tommy’s attic room, which he 
had fitted up with many of his own treasures, so that it 
looked a little like a “den,” as he had heard some older 
boys call their apartment. 

The Tiptop house had been pretty well settled by this 
time. Tommy and Nellie had started to school, and they 
had made many new friends. Tommy several times saw 
the lad who had taken his bat, but the bully did not even 
speak to our hero, and Tommy was glad enough to let 
Jakie alone. 

“Well, as soon as we clean out the third base line, I 
guess we’ll stop,” suggested Tommy one afternoon, when 
they had done considerable work on the diamond. “My I 
but it’s hot, though!” 

“I should say so!” exclaimed Joie Grubb. “I wonder if 
it isn’t warm enough to go in swimming?” 

“Of course it is!” agreed Mortimer Manchester. “Let’s 
go down to the old swimming hole by the buttonball tree. 
I was in the other day, and it wasn’t as warm as it is now.” 

“Come on!” cried the boys in a chorus, and soon Tommy 
and the others, stopping work on the baseball diamond, 


TOMMY GOES SWIMMING 


6 7 


were hurrying toward the old swimming hole. Within a 
few minutes they were in the water, splashing about, diving 
off a spring-board, swimming across the hole under water, 
leaping over and ducking each other and having a general 
good time. 

It was quite warm, and the water was not a bit chilly, 
so they stayed in for some time. 

“Well, I’m going out,” finally announced Tommy. 
“Can you fellows come over to my house this evening, and 
we’ll see about having a meeting, getting a captain, manager 
and things like that? We want to arrange about playing 
other nines, too.” 

Several of the boys promised to come, though some had 
to stay at home and study, and, while busily thinking of 
how he could manage to raise money for uniforms, Tommy 
scrambled out of the water and ran toward the place where 
he had left his clothes. 

“Hello!” he suddenly exclaimed. “This is queer!” 

“What’s the matter?” asked Billie. “Did somebody tie 
your clothes in knots?” 

“I should say they had!” exclaimed Tommy, “and hard 
knots, too! Look at the legs of my pants! I’ll never get 
them out, and my shirt and coat, too! And where are my 
shoes?” 

The other boys aided him in looking around in the 
grass for them. But though the shoes of everyone else but 
Tommy Tiptop were there, his had disappeared. 

“Guess I’ll have to go home barefoot,” he remarked, 
ruefully, “and my mother won’t like it. Those shoes were 
almost new.” 


CHAPTER VIII 


TOMMY EARNS SOME MONEY, 

“HERE, we’ll help you untie the knots in your clothing,” 
offered Teddy. “And maybe we can find your shoes, if 
we look a little more.” 

“I surely hope we can,” spoke Tommy, who had man- 
aged to get his shirt on. “I don’t see who could have done 
this.” 

“Oh, someone sneaked up when we weren’t looking,” 
was the opinion of Herbert Kress. 

“Yes, and I believe I know who it was!” suddenly ex- 
claimed Billie Ruggler. “It was that Jakie Norton. lie 
did it to get even with Tommy for taking the bat away from 
him that time.” 

“I believe you’re right,” agreed Teddy. “If we had 
Jakie here now, there’s enough of us to duck him! How 
about it?” 

“Sure we would!” came in a chorus from the other lads. 
They had succeeded by this time in getting most of the 
knots out of Tommy’s clothes, and now, as the boys were 
nearly all dressed, they began a more careful search for the 
missing shoes. 

“Here they are!” suddenly called Mortimer Manchester, 
who had gone some distance back from the brook. “They’re 
in this old stump, and they’re filled with sand and gravel. 
That was a mean trick, all right!” 

“It sure was!” agreed the other boys, while Tommy 

68 


TOMMY EARNS SOME MONEY 


69 

hurried over to claim his footwear. The shoes were filled 
to the top with the wet material from the banks of the 
stream, and even when they were emptied they were damp 
and hard to put on. 

“But it’s better than not finding them at all,” observed 
Tommy. “I can manage to squeeze my feet into ’em,” 
which he did. 

“I don’t see how Jakie Norton — if it was him that did 
it — could sneak up and we not see him,” observed Toie 
Grubb 

“He probably did it when we were splashing each other 
in the water and making a lot of noise,” was the opinion 
of Georgie Pennington. “He might have grabbed up 
Tommy’s clothes, hid back in the bushes until he had the 
knots in ’em, and then he tossed ’em over here. He took 
the shoes farther off with him.” 

This was about the only way the boys could figure out 
that the trick had been played, and, as they walked toward 
the town, they talked over what they would like to do to 
the bully if they could catch him while they were all to- 
gether. Alone, none of them would have been strong 
enough to engage in a tussle with Jakie. 

It was rather an unpleasant ending to the day’s fun, but 
it might have been much worse, as Tommy said, if he had 
not found his shoes. 

“Well, how is the baseball nine coming on?” asked 
Tommy’s father of him one evening about a week after the 
swimming fun just mentioned. “Have you challenged any 
other teams yet?” 

“No, but I expect to soon. We had a meeting up in my 
room, and I’m captain of the nine.” 

“I should think you would be, you got it up all alone,” 
said Nellie. “Don’t you own the nine, Tommy?” 


70 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Of course not, and, just because a fellow gets up a 
nine, that doesn’t say he is going to be captain. The cap- 
tain has to be the best player,” explained the lad. “Of 
course I don’t say I am the best,” he hastened to add, “but 
the fellows said I was good, and they hadn’t ever had a 
nine before, so that’s why they wanted me to be captain.” 

“But when are you going to play games, Tommy?” asked 
his mother. 

“Oh, pretty soon now. We’ve got the grounds nearly 
fixed, and we’ve had a lot of practice. We’ve got to build 
a back-stop next, and the catcher needs a mask. We’ve got 
enough balls and bats and a few gloves,” he went on. 
“Some of the fellows took a pair of their father’s old gloves, 
cut off the finger-tops and stuffed the inside with cotton. I 
wish I had an old pair to fix up.” 

“I guess I can find some,” said Mr. Tiptop. 

“I don’t s’pose you could lend the team enough money 
to get boards for a back-stop, could you, pa?” asked 
Tommy, wistfully. 

“I’m afraid not,” was the answer. “You see, it cost me 
quite a bit to move here, Tommy, and I can’t afford to let 
you have any more than I allow you every week. But why 
can’t you boys earn money yourselves?” 

“There doesn’t seem to be many ways of earning money 
here,” replied the lad. “Back in Millton, now, I could 
make a lot cutting grass. But they don’t have many front 
lawns here, and people let the grass grow as long as it likes 
in the back yards. I asked a lady, two or three houses 
down from here, the other day, if she didn’t want her back 
grass cut, and she said it didn’t matter because no one saw 
it, anyhow. I’ll cut our front grass for fifteen cents,” went 
on Tommy, quickly, looking at his father. 

“All right,” agreed Mr. Tiptop. “I’ll pay you to- 


TOMMY EARNS SOME MONEY 


7 1 


morrow. And, if I were you, Fd go downtown after school, 
some days, and see if you can run errands for any of the 
storekeepers. I know up at the factory where I work we 
often need a boy to run errands and carry light packages, 
when the regular boy is out. It’s too far away, or you 
could come down there and earn a little money.” 

“Well, with my ten cents and fifteen for cutting the 
grass, I’ll have twenty-five cents,” went on Tommy. “That 
will help buy some wood, and we’ve got about half a dollar 
in the treasury,” he added, proudly. 

“Good luck to you!” cried Mr. Tiptop as his son went 
up to bed. 

Tommy arose early the next morning and had most of 
the grass cut before it was time to go to school. He 
finished it at noon, and though he wanted to go and prac- 
tice baseball playing with the boys on the new diamond 
they had made, Tommy decided that he would go down- 
town and see if he could not find a chance to earn money. 

“Can I run any errands for you?” he asked in several 
stores. But though the merchants were kind, and smiled at 
Tommy, they did not need any help just then. 

“I’ll try that florist’s over there,” decided our hero, as 
he got in front of the flower place. “Maybe he has bou- 
quets to send out somewhere. Then, if I don’t get a chance, 
I’ll go back home and try it again to-morrow.” 

“Any errands to run?” he asked of the proprietor of the 
flower shop. The man was standing behind the counter, 
holding a long box in his hand. 

“Errands!” he exclaimed. “Do you run errands?” 

“I haven’t run any yet,” answered Tommy, with a 
smile, “but I’d like to. Can’t I carry those flowers for you? 
I’ll be careful, and I’ll go as fast as I can.” 

“Humph!” exclaimed the man. “I do happen to want 


72 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


this box of roses delivered in a hurry. My young man is 
away over on the other side of town, and I don’t know 
when he will be back. But I don’t know you, and these 
roses are worth about three dollars. How am I to know 
that you won’t run away with them, instead of delivering 
them to the right person? A lady wants to wear them to a 
party to-night. Of course you look like a nice, honest boy,” 
went on the man, with a smile, “but I have to be careful. 
I lost some money once, trusting a boy I didn’t know. Who 
are you and where do you live?” 

“I’m Tommy Tiptop,” replied our hero, adding his 
address, “and I ” 

“Tommy Tiptop, eh?” exclaimed the man. “Oh, I’ve 
heard about you. You’re getting up a ball nine, aren’t 
you?” 

“Yes, sir, and I’m trying to earn money running errands, 
so we can build a back-stop. But do you play ball?” 

“Oh, no, but I’ve got a nephew who does — Mortimer 
Manchester. I’ve heard him speak of you.” 

“Yes, Mortimer is on my team,” spoke Tommy, proudly. 
“I think I will let him play shortstop, but I’m not quite 
sure. I’m the captain,” he explained. 

“Yes, so Mortimer said. He’s taken quite a notion to 
you. Well, I’m his uncle, and I guess we’re well enough 
introduced now. I’m glad you happened to come in, 
Tommy, and I’m going to let you deliver these roses. I’ll 
give you fifteen cents for taking them to this address. 
Don’t be any longer than you can help, for they should 
have been delivered some time ago. Here is your money. 
The roses are paid for, and you needn’t come back here. 
Good luck to you!” and the florist handed Tommy a dime 
and a five-cent piece. 

“Say, I am having luck to-day!” thought the boy as he 



“Any Errands to Run ” He Asked of the 
Proprietor of the Flower Shop . 

73 



































































































































































































































TOMMY EARNS SOME MONEY 


75 


put the box of roses under his arm. “This is thirty cents 
I’ve earned. We’ll soon have our back-stop built, and then 
I’m going to see if we can’t play some regular teams. Do 
you know any team of our size?” he asked the florist. 

“Humph! Not in town. I once had an errand boy 
who lived in Freeport; that’s the next village, you know. 
He belonged to a small nine there, I heard him say.” 

“What was his name?” asked Tommy, eagerly. “I 
wonder if I couldn’t write to him? Maybe his team would 
play ours.” 

“It’s worth trying,” suggested the florist. “His name 
was Joe Forker, and he was the pitcher, I believe. Just 
address him at Freeport. Everyone goes to the post-office 
there for their mail, and he’ll be sure to get the letter. It 
isn’t so far but what the team there could come over here 
to play, or you could go there.” 

“I’ll do it!” decided Tommy, “and I wish, if we do 
have a game, that you’d come to see it. We can’t charge 
any admission,” he added, “as we haven’t any fence around 
the lot. But we are going to take up a collection, and you 
needn’t put anything in the hat when it’s passed around,” 
Tommy said, generously. 

“Thanks!” exclaimed the florist. “Now, you’d better 
hurry on with the roses.” 

As Tommy was going out of the store he looked down 
in an alleyway and saw a number of packing boxes. At 
once he had an idea. 

“Are those boxes yours?” he asked of Mortimer’s uncle. 

“Yes, and I don’t know what to do with ’em. Guess 
I’ll have to pay a man to clear them out of the way.” 

“Don’t do that!” exclaimed Tommy, quickly. “If you’ll 
let me take ’em, I’ll get some of the boys and clear ’em away 
for nothing, and we’d be glad of the chance.” 


76 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“You’re welcome to them,” replied the man, whose 
name was Mr. Fillmore. “But what are you going to do 
with them?” 

“I think we can use some of ’em to make our back-stop 
with!” exclaimed Tommy, and he hurried off with a big 
idea in his mind. 


CHAPTER IX 


tommy's nine plays 

“Say, that’s a great idea!” exclaimed Joie Grubb. 

“I should say it was,” added Georgie Pennington. 

“Wonder why we didn’t think of it ourselves?” asked 
Teddy Bunker. 

“Oh, it takes Tommy Tiptop to do things,” declared 
Sammie Sandlass, ruffling his red hair. “It’s a good 
thing he came to town.” 

“Oh, well, it just happened to come to me,” said 
Tommy, who blushed a bit at all this praise, though he 
could not help liking it. It was the day after he had had 
his idea about building a back-stop from the lumber of the 
old boxes, and he and his chums were clearing the packing 
cases out of the cellar of the florist’s shop and out of the 
alleyway. 

“Look out for nails in your hands!” warned Mr. Fill- 
more, as he watched the boys at work. “You can’t play 
ball if you get all scratched up.” 

“Say, we ought to get a hammer, knock out some of 
these nails and save ’em,” proposed Tommy. “We’ll need 
all the nails we can get to put up the back-stop.” 

“That’s a good idea,” declared Joie Grubb. “I’ll ask 
Mr. Fillmore for the hammer.” 

One was supplied, and many nails were pulled out, 
being carefully saved to be straightened and used again. 
Box after box was taken, some large and some small. A 

77 


78 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

number of the boys had hand wagons, and on these they 
piled the boxes. It made quite a procession when they 
were ready to start for the ball field, as there were eight or 
ten boys and nearly half a dozen carts. 

“Say, what’s going on?” asked Mr. Wentworth, the 
hardware merchant, who had a store next to the florist’s. 
“Are those boys going to have an election bonfire?” 

“They’re going to make a baseball back-stop,” explained 
Mr. Fillmore. “That’s a plucky chap at the head of the 
nine — Tommy Tiptop.” And he related how our hero had 
gone on the errand for him and had had the idea about 
using the old packing cases. 

“Say, that’s the kind of boys I like!” exclaimed the 
hardware man. “Boys who do things. If they want any 
nails for their back-stop, just you tell ’em I’ll supply all 
they need for nothing. They’ve got pluck to start a small 
nine, and I’d like to see ’em play some time. The big 
team here is so professional, and they depend so much on 
the pitcher, that it’s no fun watching them play sometimes.” 

“That’s right,” agreed Mr. Fillmore. “Some day you 
and I will go and see these small chaps play an old- 
fashioned game of ball, without much regard for the rules 
— the same kind of a game you and I played when we were 
youngsters.” 

“Oh, but the game is different now,” said the hardware 
man. “You’ll find that these small chaps know almost as 
much about the rules as their bigger brothers. But that 
Tommy Tiptop has certainly started things moving around 
here. I like that kind of a boy.” 

Spring was turning into summer, and it was fine base- 
ball weather, the boys thought, as they turned into the field 
which they had made into a fairly good diamond and where 
they intended to start their back-stop. 


TOMMY’S NINE PLAYS 


79 


They had already played several practice games, and 
they did very well. Everyone said Tommy made a fine 
captain. 

“How do you make a back-stop?” asked Joie Grubb 
when the procession, which had been made larger by the 
addition of a number of admiring smaller lads, reached the 
diamond. “I never built one before.” 

“Neither did I,” replied Tommy, “but I looked at the 
one on the big diamond. There are just some posts stuck 
in the ground, and then boards nailed on them crossways.” 

“Then we’ve got to get some posts,” said practical 
Teddy. 

“There are a lot of fence rails in that pile,” added 
Billie. “If Mr. Bashford would let us take them they’d do 
fine!” 

“I’ll go ask him,” volunteered Tommy. “I know him 
pretty well now. You fellows can be knocking the sides 
off the boxes, and be careful to save the nails, and don’t 
split the boards.” 

The boys became busy as their captain ran off to make 
his request of the farmer. Not only did Mr. Bashford say 
they could take as many posts as they needed, but he loaned 
them a post spade with which to dig the holes. 

“Whew! It’s hard work!” exclaimed Tommy when, 
after nearly a half hour’s work, he had not got a hole deep 
enough to hold the post firmly. The meadow land was 
rather heavy to dig. 

“Let me try,” suggested Sammie Sandlass. 

He was struggling with the spade, and Tommy was 
wondering how long before he could arrange for a regular 
game, when a strange voice exclaimed: 

“You boys don’t know how to dig holes. Let me try!” 

They turned quickly, and Tommy beheld rather an old 


8o 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


man, clad in ragged garments, who was looking at the lads 
with a good-natured smile on his face. Tommy had never 
seen him before, but several of the other lads seemed to 
know him, for they at once exclaimed: 

“Hello, Old Johnny Green! What are you doing here?” 

“Oh, just walking around,” answered the man. “I saw 
you boys over here, and I thought maybe you were going to 
have a campfire and cook something. I was hungry, so I 
came over. But I see what you’re doing. Let me dig the 
post holes for you.” 

He took the spade from Sammie’s hand, and soon had a 
hole sufficiently deep to hold a post when the dirt was filled 
in around it. 

“Who is he?” asked Tommy of Teddy in a whisper, as 
the two lads were knocking more sides off the boxes. 

“Johnny Green is his name, and everybody always calls 
him ‘Old,’ because there is another Mr. Green, of the same 
name, in town.” 

“Is he a tramp?” asked Tommy. 

“No, but he never works — that is, to make any money. 
He’s always willing to help everybody else at any work he 
sees going on, but he won’t work for himself — sort of shift- 
less, my father says.” 

“How does he live?” asked Tommy. 

“Oh, the town helps support him. If he would only 
work steadily, he could make good money, for he is handy 
with tools. But he wanders all around. Everybody likes 
him, for he’s kind and gentle. He’ll probably be around 
our ball field all summer, and he’ll help us all he can.” 

“Then we’ll treat him right,” decided Tommy. “I’m 
glad he’s digging those holes, for we never could do it.” 

Old Johnny Green proved that he knew how to do 


TOMMY’S NINE PLAYS 


other things besides dig the holes, for he showed the boys 
the best way in which to nail the boards on the posts. 

“You’ll need more nails, though,” he said when the 
bottom layer of boards had been put on, and when the 
back-stop was really beginning to look like something. 

“I’ll go buy some,” volunteered Tommy. “We can take 
the money out of the treasury later.” 

But he did not have to spend any of his change for nails, 
for the hardware man, true to his promise, supplied all that 
were needed. 

“We’re getting on fine!” thought Tommy on his way 
back to the lot. 

The back-stop was not' finished that night, but Old 
Johnny Green rather surprised the boys, and other people 
too, by working on it all the next day, so that it was com- 
pleted late in the afternoon. Tommy told his mother about 
the queer character, and she sent him a big basket of 
victuals, which Old Johnny Green said more than paid him 
for his work for the boys. 

“And now we’re ready for games!” exclaimed Tommy, 
as they lpoked at the completed back-stop. 

“Have you heard from those fellows in Freeport yet?” 
asked Billie. 

“No, but I expect to in a few days,” replied the young 
captain. He got a letter from Joe Forker the next morn- 
ing. Joe was captain of the Freeport Ramblers now, and 
he wrote that they would play Tommy’s team, which 
had been named the Riverdale Roarers, on the following 
Saturday. 

“Then we’ve got to do some hard practice,” decided 
Tommy, as he proudly read to his players the first chal- 
lenge acceptance they had received. 

“We sure will!” exclaimed Teddy.] 


82 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Say, we’re like a regular nine!” declared Billie in 
delight. 

“If we only had uniforms!” sighed Tommy. That was 
his one big ambition, and he hoped the Freeport Ramblers 
would not have suits. But they did, and very trim they 
looked in them when they reached the grounds on Saturday 
afternoon. 

In the meanwhile Tommy and his chums had been 
doing some hard practice, and they felt that they could win 
unless the other team had better players. And when 
Tommy looked over the visiting nine, he felt a little doubt- 
ful of the ability of his own. 

“But we’ll do our best!” he exclaimed. 

A few seats had been put up from wood left over from 
the back-stop, and on these the players could sit. There 

were no seats for the audience, and, as a matter of fact, 

there was not much of a crowd. There were lots of the 
town boys — the smaller ones — and a few men and youths, 
who had nothing in particular to do. But Tommy and his 
friends did not care for the audience so much as they did 
care to play ball. 

Tommy had a talk with Joe Forker, the other captain, 
and little time was wasted. They picked out an umpire. 
Tommy, who was to do the pitching, had some “warm-up” 
practice with Teddy, who would catch, and then, as the 

visitors had lost the toss, and had to take first inning, 

Tommy went to the pitching box. 

“Make him give you a good ball now!” called Henry 
Hicks to Will Warnton, who was first up at the bat. 

“I’m going to make a home run!” retorted Will, boast- 
ingly. 

“Play ball!” called the umpire, and Tommy threw what 
he hoped would be a curve. 


TOMMY’S NINE PLAYS 83 

Tommy Tiptop’s nine was playing its first regular game, 
and the young captain felt very proud and happy, as he 
realized that it was due mostly to his own efforts that this 
had come about. 


CHAPTER X 


TOMMY GOES FISHING 

“That's the way to hit ’em out!” 

“Come on now, Will; make a home run!” 

“Say, he hit that good and hard!” 

These were some of the cries that greeted Will Warn- 
ton’s first strike at the ball which Tommy had pitched him, 
and hit it Will did, sending the horsehide away out toward 
center field. 

“Go after it!” shouted Tommy. “Don’t let him get to 
second base!” 

Frank Bonder, who was nearest to the ball, ran to get 
under it. Down it came, right in his fingers. 

“He’s out!” 

“He won’t make a run!” 

“That’s the way to catch ’em!” 

It seemed as if every boy on the grounds was yelling at 
once. No wonder poor Frank got confused and dropped 
the ball! For that is exactly what he did, letting it slip 
through his fingers. 

There was a groan of despair from Tommy and his 
chums, for Will was safe on second base. 

“Never mind,” consoled the young captain of the River- 
dale Roarers. “They won’t get any more hits, and we’ll 
get him out soon.” 

“Oh, don’t be too sure of that,” came from the runner 
on second, as he danced about, trying to make Herbert 

84 


TOMMY GOES FISHING 85 

Kress, who was second baseman, get nervous. “I’m going 
to make the run pretty soon.” 

“I guess I didn’t curve that ball very much,” thought 
Tommy, as he got ready for the next hitter. As soon as he 
threw the ball, Will, on second base, started for third. At 
once there was more shouting and confusion, boys jumping 
up and down and yelling at the top of their voices. It was 
very clear that the visiting team had had more experience 
than had Tommy’s nine. 

Will got to third, but he did not get home right away, 
as the boy at the bat was put out on a foul, which the 
catcher grabbed just in time. Then the next lad up hit a 
ball that went right between the legs of fat Joie Grubb, who 
was shortstop. When the inning was over the visitors had 
two runs. 

“But we’ll win!” declared Tommy to his boys, confi- 
dently. 

It did not look so at first, for when three innings had 
been played the score stood four runs to six in favor of the 
Ramblers. 

Then Tommy and his chums braced up, and though 
they had never before played together in a regular game, 
though they had no uniforms, and not a very good outfit, 
they played so well that they tied the score. 

“But we’ve got to win!” cried Tommy, as it came time 
for his boys to go out in the field. “We’ve got to win!” 

“I hope we do,” said Sammie Sandlass. “But their 
pitcher throws big curves.” 

“I’ve got to have more practice at that,” admitted 
Tommy. “They’re a stronger team than we are, but I 
think we can win.” 

It came to the ending of the ninth inning. The score 
had increased until it was now ten runs to eleven in favor 


86 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


of the Ramblers. It was the turn of the Riverdale Roarers 
to bat for the last time. If they could get two runs they 
would win. Could they do it? 

“We’re just going to!” exclaimed Tommy. “I bat 
right after you do, Teddy. You try and knock a three- 
bagger, and I’ll try to make a home run, and that will win 
us the game.” 

“Of course I’ll try,” spoke Teddy, “but you know it 
isn’t so easy to make runs as you’d think.” 

“Of course I know, but do it! Do it!” 

“Yes, you’re the boy who does things!” laughed Teddy. 
“Well, here I go,” he added, as he walked up to home 
plate. 

“One strike!” shouted the umpire, though Teddy had 
not moved his bat. 

“Say, I didn’t strike at that,” objected the batter. 

“I know you didn’t, but you had ought to,” replied the 
umpire. “It was right over the plate.” 

“Of course it was,” declared the rival pitcher. “I can 
put ’em just where I want to.” 

“Then put one here!” cried Teddy, holding out his bat 
about level with his belt, “and I’ll knock it over the barn!” 

“I’d like to see you do it!” retorted the pitcher. 

Well, Teddy did not exactly knock the ball over the 
barn, but he did send it quite a distance, and he managed 
to get to third base, because the right fielder muffed the ball. 

“Now for a home run, and we win the game!” cried 
Tommy. 

“You never can,” spoke Joie Grubb, despairingly. 

There were two strikes called on Tommy, almost before 
he knew it, and he shut his teeth firmly together and made 
up his mind that he would hit the next ball. And he did. 

Away it sailed, right over the head of the center fielder, 


i 


I i 



But He Had to Slide Through the Dust and 
Grass to Make It. 

8 7 



TOMMY GOES FISHING 89 

for Tommy was a sturdy lad, and he put all his strength 
into that one strike. 

“Goon! Goon!” 

“A home run!” 

“Leg it, Tommy! Leg it!” 

“We’ll win the game!” 

Once again everybody was shouting. Teddy had started 
from third base toward home. Tommy had rounded first 
and was going for second as fast as he could. 

He got to third as the boy who had raced after the ball 
threw it in. 

“I’ve got to get there ahead of that ball!” thought our 
hero. 

And he did. But he had to slide through the dust and 
grass to make it, and he tore a hole in his trousers. But he 
did not mind that, for he had on an old suit, and he thought 
the winning of the game would more than make up for the 
ripped garment. 

“We win! We win!” cried the Riverdale Roarers. 

“Of course we win!” yelled Teddy. “It takes Tommy 
Tiptop to do things!” 

There was a moment of silence on the part of the visit- 
ing nine. It had happened so suddenly that they could not 
realize it. They had been sure of victory, and at the last 
moment their rivals had won. They did not understand it. 

“That was a great run, Tommy!” exclaimed Billie 
Ruggler. 

“Well, I knew I just had to make it!” panted Tommy. 

Then the losers cheered the winners and the winners 
gave a cheer for the losers, and the first real game was over. 

“But we’ll play you another,” said the captain of the 
visitors. He did not like to lose. 


90 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Of course,” agreed Tommy. “Next time we may have 
suits.” 

“I’d rather win the game than have uniforms,” went on 
the captain of the losing side. “But next time we will 
win.’” 

Tommy laughed as his chums gathered around him, and 
then the two teams left the field. As our hero walked out 
of the lane to the village street he saw his sister. A girl 
was with her. 

“Oh, Tommy, did you win?” asked Nellie. 

“Sure we did,” he answered. “But it was hard work. 
I made a home run.” 

“Oh, that was fine!” exclaimed Nellie’s friend, and then, 
for the first time, Tommy noticed that she was the girl he 
had saved from the bull. 

“Oh, how are you?” he asked. “You’re Joie’s sister, 
aren’t you? Joie played fine to-day.” 

“He’s very fat to play ball,” remarked Sallie. “Mamma 
says she doesn’t see how he does it.” 

“Oh, he isn’t so fat as he was,” spoke Tommy. “He got 
thin helping build the back-stop, I guess.” 

The back-stop had been a great help to the lads in play- 
ing ball, for the catchers were not expert enough to stop 
all the balls the pitchers delivered, and the structure of 
posts and boards, which Old Johnny Green had helped 
build, came in very nicely. It stopped the missed balls 
from rolling too far away. The old man was on hand to 
see the game, and he clapped loudly every time Tommy 
and his friends did well. 

Tommy, with his sister and Sallie and some other com- 
panions, walked toward home, talking about the great 
game. Tommy fairly burst into the house, actually falling 
up the steps in his eagerness, crying out: 


r 


TOMMY GOES FISHING 


9i 

“We won, ma! We won! We beat the other team! 
Now, who says we can’t play ball?” 

“Indeed, did you win, dear? I’m very glad!” replied 
his mother, as she stroked his damp hair with her hand. 
“Oh, but how warm you are, Tommy!” 

“Yes, it was hot. But now I’ve got to write a letter to 
see about a game for next Saturday.” 

Tommy could not arrange for a regular contest during 
the next week, but he managed to have a game between his 
own team and a scrub one from boys about town, for there 
was quite a baseball fever in Riverdale since Tommy’s nine 
had won. Every boy who could manage it, had a glove, a 
ball and a bat, and practiced at odd times in vacant lots or 
on the new diamond. 

Tommy’s nine won their second game, but they did not 
take much credit for that, as the scrub team they played 
had no regular organization. 

“But it is good practice for us,” remarked Tommy, and 
the others agreed with him. 

At odd times they worked on the diamond, getting rid 
of the stones, clearing away the grass from the home plate 
and along the base lines. 

Several of the other boys did odd bits of work about 
town and earned money so that they were able to buy bag- 
bases, some new balls and occasionally a new bat. The 
catcher had a second-hand mask. 

But they could not quite manage the uniforms. Some 
of the boys did coax their parents to buy them ball suits, 
but the nine, as a whole, did not have them, and there were 
hardly any two alike. Tommy got one, with the letters 
“R. R.” in red on his shirt, and very proud he was, too. 
Sometimes, when some boy could not play, he would loan 
his suit to a friend. 


92 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


As the days of summer went on, Tommy’s nine played 
many games, losing some and winning more. The fathers, 
and, in some cases, the mothers of the players, came to see a 
game occasionally, and Mr. Fillmore, the florist, and his 
friend, Mr. Wentworth, the hardware man, paid several 
visits to the new diamond. 

It was a warm summer’s day, and Tommy, who had 
been at the head of his class in school for seven times in 
succession, was, as a reward of merit, allowed to come out 
at two o’clock on Friday. There were none of his close 
friends who had the same honor, so Tommy did not have 
anyone to chum with, and, though he was glad to be out of 
school, he hardly knew what to do with himself. 

“I guess I’ll go fishing,” he decided, as he hurried 
toward home. 

Up in his room he had a good pole, lines, hooks and all 
things needful. It was the work of only a few minutes to 
dig some worms in the garden, catch a grasshopper or two 
and start for the creek which flowed about half a mile from 
the house. 

“Bring home enough for supper,” called his mother 
after her boy, as Tommy strolled off, with his pole pver his 
shoulder. “Catch some nice big ones, Tommy, but don’t 
fall in!” 

“I won’t,” he promised, and then he hurried on, whis- 
tling a merry tune, and wondering whether his nine would 
win the baseball game that was to be played the following 
day. 

“I wonder if the fellows in Millton have a nine yet,” 
he said to himself. “I must write a card to some of the 
boys, tell them about our nine, and see if they can play us. 
I think that would be fun.” 


CHAPTER XI 


TOMMY IS IN DANGER 

“Oh, THAT'S a dandy!” exclaimed Tommy. “A regular 
dandy! A few more like that, and I’ll have enough for 
supper!” 

He had pulled up his line, after having fished for about 
an hour, and, dangling from the hook, was a fine, fat chub, 
a very delicious white fish. 

“No, you don’t!” exclaimed the lad as the fish dropped 
off the hook to the grass and tried to flop toward the water. 
“I can’t lose you that way!” And he made a grab for his 
prize. “You’re the biggest one yet. Wait a minute and 
I’ll have you in the water again, but you can’t swim away. 
Sorry, but it’s got to be,” and he passed a string through 
the gills of the fish, and then, fastening one end of the cord 
to a stone, Tommy let the big fish and a few other smaller 
ones he had previously caught swim about in a little pool. 

Tommy once more baited his hook and tossed it into the 
water. But the catching of the big chub must have fright- 
ened the others, for there were no more bites for some time. 

“Guess this hole is fished out,” remarked Tommy. “I’m 
going to try the lower one. If I get one more big fellow, 
I’ll quit.” 

Winding up his line, he took his string of fish and 
tramped along the edge of the creek to another fishing hole. 
There, after putting his fish in the water to keep them alive 

93 


94 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


and fresh, he sat down on the bank, baited the hook with a 
green grasshopper instead of a worm and awaited results. 

They were not long in coming, for in less than two 
minutes he had caught a perch about as large as his big 
chub. And then, instead of doing as he had said he would, 
go home, after another fair catch, he threw in his line 
again. 

“Fishing is good here. I might as well stay a little 
longer,” he said. “If I get two more fat ones ” 

He stopped suddenly, for he felt a tug on his line, and 
he pulled in sharply. To his surprise, a black, heavy body, 
with short, wriggling legs, arose from the water. 

“Oh, I don’t want you!” exclaimed the lad as he saw 
that he had caught a mud turtle. “Now I’ll have a hard 
time getting my hook out!” 

And indeed he did have, for the turtle had all but swal- 
lowed the barb. But finally Tommy managed to cut it out, 
without hurting the turtle much. Then he tossed the turtle 
back into the stream, baited up afresh and waited patiently 
for another bite. 

It came with a rush about ten minutes later, and proved 
to be one of the biggest perches Tommy had ever caught. 

“That’s a dandy!” he exclaimed. “I’m glad I came 
here. I guess I won’t fish for any more. I’ve got enough. 
Oh, no, I’ll try for one more, and if I don’t get it by the 
time the sun is even with the top of the oak tree, I’ll go 
home. I wish some of the fellows would come along. It’s 
getting lonesome. They must be out of school by this 
time.” 

As Tommy went to put his latest catch on the string 
that held his other fish, he saw a splashing in a pool of 
water not far away. The sun shone on the silver sides of a 
big fish, as with its tail it slapped the water. 


TOMMY IS IN DANGER 


95 


“Thads queer, a big fish so near shore!” said Tommy to 
himself, and, after he had made his own prizes secure, he 
walked over to see what had caused the commotion. 

“Why, somebody else has been fishing here!” he ex- 
claimed as he saw two or three fish in a little pool of water. 
They were strung on a string, as were his own. “They’ve 
been fishing and they’ve forgotten to take ’em away,” he 
went on. “Nice big ones, too,” he said. “I wonder whose 
they are?” 

He stooped over to examine the fish, lifting them from 
the water by the string. As he did so the cord suddenly 
broke, and, like flashes of silver, the beauties dropped into 
the water and swam away. 

“Well, now I have done it!” exclaimed Tommy. “If 
the fellow who owns these fish comes along, I’m in ” 

“Here! What are you doing there?” suddenly asked a 
rough voice, and, looking behind him, Tommy saw Jakie 
Norton, standing and looking at him with anger in his eyes. 

“What are you doing here?” repeated Jakie. 

“Fishing, of course,” answered Tommy, shortly, for he 
did not like the way in which the bully talked to him. 

“Fishing, eh? And in my place, too. Now you get 
out of here!” 

“I didn’t know this was your special place,” replied 
Tommy, sturdily, “and I don’t think you’ve got any more 
rights here than I have. Anyhow, I’m done fishing, so I’m 
going.” 

“What have you got there?” suddenly asked Jakie, 
catching sight of the string in Tommy’s hand — the string 
that was now empty of fish. “What are you doing with 
my string?” demanded the bully. 

“Is — is this your string?” asked Tommy, and he did not 


96 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

know what to say next. “I — I found it here,” he went on 
slowly, “and I — er ” 

“Where are the fish that were on it?” demanded Jakie, 
angrily. 

“They — well, I guess you didn’t have ’em fastened 
good!” replied our hero. “Anyhow, when I lifted ’em up 
they slipped off, and — well, they got away.” 

“But what right did you have to lift ’em up?” screamed 
Jakie. 

“I wanted to see whose they were.” 

“They were mine, that’s whose they were, and I believe 
you let them go on purpose!” exclaimed the bully. 

“No, I didn’t; honestly,” replied Tommy. “I just lifted 
’em up, and they slipped off the string. It broke, and the 
end came untied.” 

“Oh, it did, eh? Well, maybe that’s so, and maybe it 
isn’t. Anyhow, I’m going to take your fish to make things 
even, and we’ll see how you’ll like that!” And before 
Tommy could stop him, Jakie had scrambled down to the 
edge of the creek, and had grabbed up Tommy’s string of 
fish from the pool between the rocks. 

“Huh! You’ve got some good-sized ones,” Jakie said, 
half admiringly. “ ’Most as good as mine were. Well, I’ll 
take ’em home. They’ll come in handy for supper.” 

“They’re bigger than the fish you had!” cried Tommy, 
“and there’s more of ’em. You only had about three. 
Maybe it was my fault that your fish got away, but it was 
an accident. I’ll give you three of mine to make up for it, 
but don’t you dare take my whole string!” 

“Ha! Don’t you say Mare’ to me!” commanded Jakie. 
“I’ll do as I please. Get out of my way!” he exclaimed, 
roughly, as he shoved Tommy to one side, and hurried up 
the bank, taking our hero’s string of fish with him. 


TOMMY IS IN DANGER 


97 


“Give me back those fish!” cried Tommy. 

“Not to-day,” sneered the bully, and, as Tommy made a 
grab for them, Jakie hit him on the chest. 

Poor Tommy staggered back. He was not a boy in the 
habit of fighting, for his parents, he knew, did not like him 
to use his fists. Yet he did not want to be imposed upon. 
He felt that Jakie could get the best of him in a fight; still, 
somehow, Tommy was not afraid. 

“Are you going to take my fish?” Tommy asked, quietly, 
for he thought Jakie might, after all, be only playing a 
joke. 

“Of course I am,” answered the older boy, sneeringly. 

“Then I’m going to take them away from you,” retorted 
Tommy. “Look out!” 

He was about to make a spring for his antagonist, when 
he heard someone approaching through the bushes. Both 
boys half turned their heads to see who it was. It might be 
a friend of either of them. 

Jakie was on the alert to run away, for he realized that 
if one of Tommy’s friends came along the two boys would 
more than be a match for him. 

And then the figure that was coming through the bushes 
came into view. At the sight of another lad, who quickly 
advanced, Jakie called out: 

“Hello, Sam! Glad you came. This lad here let my 
string of fish go, and when I want to take his string, he says 
I can’t.” 

“It was an accident!” explained Tommy, who had heard 
about the other boy — a crony of Jakie’s, and as cruel and 
mean as the bully himself. “It was an accident,” insisted 
Tommy. “I was only looking at his fish, but I’m willing to 
give him as many back as he had.” 

“Oh, take ’em all, Jakie,” advised Sam Belton, the new- 


98 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

comer, with a short laugh. “He doesn’t need fish. We’ll 
divide ’em between us, Jakie.” 

“No, you won’t!” cried Tommy, driven to anger, and he 
made a move toward the two boys. 

“Say, I believe he wants to fight us!” exclaimed Sam. 
“Come on, Jakie, and we’ll throw him in the brook. It’ll 
do him good.” 

Tommy paused. He could swim fairly well, but he 
knew it would be hard work with his clothes on. Be- 
sides, he did not want to get wet, as his suit was a good one, 
and the creek was deep at that point. 

“That’s right, we’ll duck him!” agreed Jakie. “I owe 
him something for being so fresh about that bat.” 

“It was my bat!” cried Tommy, “and those are my fish, 

and ” 

He was going to add something about his shoes being 
hidden at the swimming hole, but thought better of it. 

“Grab him, and toss him in!” suddenly called Sam, and 
he and his crony made a move for Tommy at the same time. 

Now, Tommy was not a coward, but, he hastily re- 
flected, he would be no match for two big boys. It was 
hardly worth while to be tossed in the creek for the sake of 
a few fish, and, even if they did throw him in, he would not 
get the fish after all. Besides, there was the danger of 
drowning. 

“I guess I’ll have to run for it, though I hate to,” de- 
cided Tommy. 

Now, I hope none of my readers will think less of him 
for running away. There are times when it is better to run 
than to fight, especially if you are certain why you run. 
Tommy did not mind a few hard knocks, and he might even 
have tackled Jakie or Sam alone. But the two together were 
too much for him, and then, too, he did not want to make 


TOMMY IS IN DANGER 99 

his mother worry by coming home wet. So he decided to 
run, though it might look cowardly. 

Holding his fishing pole firmly, he made a dash for an 
open place in the bushes. His two enemies saw his plan at 
once, and made leaps toward him. 

“He’s trying to skip!” cried Sam. 

“Yes, grab him!” added Jakie. 

But Tommy’s baseball training served him in good 
stead, and he was soon ahead of his pursuers, who came on 
crashing through the bushes after him. 

“Coward! Coward!” they yelled, tauntingly, but Tommy 
was no coward, and they knew it. 

“We’ll catch you, and when we do we’ll duck you twice 
for running!” yelled Sam. 

“You haven’t caught me yet,” reflected Tommy, with a 
laugh. Somehow, he did not mind the loss of his fish very 
much, for Jakie still had his string of prizes. 

Tommy was now running along the bank of the creek, 
through a grassy meadow. He could not see his pursuers 
behind him, but he could hear them, for he had taken a 
short cut through the bushes which Joie Grubb had shown 
him one day, and this gave him a good start. 

Yet he realized that if he did not soon get away the two 
big boys would catch him, for they had longer legs than he 
had, and were much stronger. 

“But if I can get far enough away from the creek they 
can’t throw me in unless they carry me back,” reasoned 
Tommy, “and if they do carry me, and the fish, they’re go- 
ing to have their own troubles.” 

So on he raced, and he was just thinking that he was 
well ahead of the two bullies, when he heard their voices 
close behind him, though still he could not see them. 

“We’ll have him in another minute!” exclaimed Sam. 


100 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


“Yes. I’d like to teach him a lesson. The idea of a 
new boy like him coming to town and starting a ball team. 
He’s got too much nerve!” said Jakie. “Can you see him?” 

“No,” answered Sam. 

Neither could our hero get a glimpse of the boys who 
were after him. He knew that a screen of bushes hid them 
from him. Somehow or other, they had gotten ahead of 
him, and had missed him. 

“Oh, if I could only give them the slip!” he exclaimed. 

Pie looked about for a hiding place, and, just ahead of 
him, he saw an old grist mill, that had not been used in sev- 
eral years. The boys often played in it, and it had many 
“bunks,” or secret hiding places. 

“There’s where I’ll go!” exclaimed Tommy to himself. 
“They’ll never get me there, and I can get in before they 
find out that they’re ahead of me, instead of behind me.” 

It only took a few seconds to work his way through the 
bushes until he stood within the dim old mill. He could 
hear the water from the race splashing down, but the big 
wheel, which he could see through a break in the wall, was 
still. It was an old-fashioned under-shot wheel, covered 
with green moss, and Tommy, who always liked machinery, 
went closer to look at it. 

As he stood near it, wondering how fast it moved when 
in working order, he heard voices in the old mill. 

“I shouldn’t wonder but what he slipped in here!” he 
heard Sam say. The bullies had come back. 

“Yes, just as likely as not,” said Jakie. “Well, there is 
a good place to duck him here — right in the mill pond.” 

“They found out that I’d given them the slip!” thought 
Tommy, quickly, “and they’re back after me. Where can I 
hide?” 

He looked about, half in fun at the idea of giving his 


TOMMY IS IN DANGER 


IOI 

enemies the slip, and half in fear lest they oatch him and 
duck him. There seemed to be no place where he would be 
safe from their eyes. He looked about in vain, and was 
about to run up a pair of rickety stairs, though he was sure 
the boys would hear him. He could catch their footsteps 
coming nearer and nearer. 

“The big mill wheel!” suddenly exclaimed Tommy. “If 
I could climb up on that I’d be out of sight. And it ought 
to be as easy as going up stairs.” 

In fact, the wheel, with its big wooden pockets, or 
buckets, was not a hard place up which to scramble, as it 
was low down. 

In another moment Tommy had made a spring for it, 
and soon he reached the top. 

He was not a moment too soon, either, for just as he 
crouched down on the upper rim of the wheel he heard the 
voices more plainly, and he realized that his pursuers had 
entered the main room of the mill, from which he had just 
made his escape. 

“He isn’t here,” he heard Sam say. 

“No. I guess he got away after all. Say, let’s stay 
here and have some fun. Did you ever make the mill 
wheel go around?” 

“No; how do you do it?” asked Sam. 

“Why, you just raise the wooden gate over by the mill 
race. That lets the water from the pond come down the 
channel, and the wheel turns over. It’s sport. I did it one 
day, and the wheel went around in great shape. Let’s do 
it.” 

“All right,” agreed Sam. “What are you going to do 
with your fish?” 

“I’ll lay ’em down. It’s kind of hard to raise the gate, 


102 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


and let the water in. It’ll take two of us, I guess, for it’s 
rusty. But it’s fun.” 

Tommy, lying there on the big water wheel, heard, and, 
for the moment, a cold chill went over him. They were 
going to set in motion the very wheel on which he was hid- 
ing! He would be carried over with it — down into the 
whirling, green water, and he might be drowned, or 
crushed. He wanted to cry out, to tell them he was there 
— to ask them not to turn on the water — but he could not 
seem to speak. 

He could hear them go laughing from the main room of 
the mill, laughing between themselves at the fun they were 
going to have. They had forgotten about Tommy now. 

“I must get down! I must get away!” thought the 
young baseball captain. 

For a moment it seemed as if he could not move, and 
then, as he thought of what might happen, he gave a 
spring, and tried to slide down over the outer edge of the 
wheel to the mill floor. 

To his surprise and terror, he could move only a few 
inches. One of his feet had caught in a corner of one of 
the buckets, and he was held fast there. 

“I’m caught! caught!” gasped Tommy. 

Vainly he struggled to free himself. Then, from some- 
where in another part of the mill, he heard the splashing of 
water, and it seemed to him that the wheel on which he 
was held fast was slowly moving. 

“Oh, what shall I do?” gasped poor Tommy. “How 
can I get out of this?” 

Louder splashed the water, and the big wheel moved 
more quickly now, while Tommy could hear the laughter 
of the two boys, as they opened the water gate wider and 
wider. 


CHAPTER XII. 


TOMMY SAVES HIS ENEMY 

TOMMY Tiptop was thinking quickly. He was a plucky 
lad, and he did not give up hope in the face of danger. 
But he could not seem to help himself. 

Again and again he tried to loosen his foot from where 
it was caught in a crack in the wheel, but he could not get 
free. He knew what would happen soon. The water, 
which came into a sort of long, wooden box, from the mill 
pond, ran underneath the big wheel, and, by striking on the 
wooden buckets or pockets, turned the wheel over, and had 
thus, in the times when the mill was running, moved the 
grindstones. 

“I’ll be carried over until I get on the bottom,” thought 
Tommy, “and then I’ll be drowned, or crushed.” 

He was not mistaken. The wheel was moving slowly, 
and he realized that only a part of the force of water was, 
as yet, striking the buckets. As the boys opened the gate 
wider, more water would come in the long, narrow box, and 
the wheel would turn over faster. 

“If I could only untie my shoe, and slip my foot out!” 
thought Tommy. He had once read of a boy who got his 
foot caught in a switch on a railroad track. The lad pulled 
and tugged, but his foot was held fast, and a train was ap- 
proaching at great speed. 

Suddenly that boy had unlaced his shoe, pulled out his 
foot, and saved himself. Tommy made up his mind to try 

103 


io4 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


the same trick. He leaned forward to get at the laces, but 
he found that he could not reach them in the position in 
which he was held. 

“That won’t do,” he decided. He could still hear Sam 
and Jakie at the water gate. They seemed to be having 
some trouble raising it. 

And then another thought came to our hero. He must 
shout for help. Why had he not thought of that before? 
The two boys who had raced after him, though mean 
bullies, would not want him to be seriously hurt. They had 
only meant to have fun with him in their rough, cruel way, 
and they had no idea that he was fast on the mill wheel. 

“I’ll call to them!” decided Tommy, and, somehow, 
though it was to save his life, he almost disliked to do it. 
But there was no help for it. The wheel was moving faster 
now. 

“Help! Help!” sung out Tommy. “I’m on the mill 
wheel! Caught fast! Turn off the water! Help! Help!” 

He waited a moment, hoping for an answer. 

None came. He could still hear the splashing of the 
water and the laughter and shouts of the two boys in a dis- 
tant part of the mill. 

“They can’t hear me!” thought Tommy. This idea 
caused him to make harder efforts than before to loosen his 
foot, but he could not. Then he called again. 

“Help! Help! I’m on the mill wheel!” 

There was a sudden rush of water, so loud that it 
almost smothered Tommy’s cries in his own ears, and he 
knew that he could scarcely be heard ten feet away. At the 
same time the wheel gave a sudden lurch and swung far 
over. Tommy could see down below him a dark tunnel, 
filled with foaming, rushing water. 

“Help! Help!” he cried, desperately. 



“Did You — Did You Save Me?” Asked Tommy. 


105 



TOMMY SAVES HIS ENEMY 


107 


Then he saw something else. It was a man — a man in 
rather ragged clothes, who sprang into the mill through one 
of the broken windows. The man made a rush for the 
wheel. Tommy closed his eyes, wishing it was all a dream, 
and that he would awaken safe in bed. 

He heard the rushing of waters louder now, and above 
them a man’s voice seemed to shout: 

“Why, it’s Tommy Tiptop! Who started that wheel? 
I’ve got to stop it!” 

Something hit Tommy on the head, and everything got 
black around him. There was a roaring in his ears, and 
when he opened his eyes he found himself staring up to- 
ward the dusty beams of the ceiling of the old mill. He 
knew that he was being held in the arms of someone, and, 
when he turned his head, he saw the kindly face of Old 
Johnny Green bending over him. 

“Did you — did you save me?” asked Tommy. 

“I did, and just in time,” answered the old man. 
“What did you want to get up there for, and who started 
the wheel?” 

Tommy told everything that had happened, from the 
time he went fishing until Sam and Jakie had chased him, 
and he had taken to the wheel for refuge, being caught 
there. 

“But how did you shut off the water in time?” asked 
Tommy. 

“By pulling on that handle there,” replied Johnny 
Green, pointing to one near the wheel. “That’s what it’s 
there for, to stop the wheel suddenly in case of danger, 
when you haven’t time to run and close down the water 
gate. And I didn’t have time. 

“I was passing the mill, when I heard the water coming 
down the flume. I knew some one must have turned it on, 


io8 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


so I came in to see about it. I like to come to the old mill. 
I used to work here when I was a young man. 

“Well, I saw you on the wheel, and I got in front of 
you on the big platform. As you turned around you sort of 
fell over toward me, and I grabbed you, but your head hit 
on a stick of wood. Then I pulled you toward me. I 
guess I must have yanked your foot out of the hole where 
it was caught. Then I carried you over here. You had 
fainted, so I got some water to put on your face, and I shut 
off the wheel.” 

“I’m ever so much obliged to you,” said Tommy, and, 
somehow, it did not seem very much to say to the man who 
had saved his life. “Where are Sam and Jakie?” he asked. 

“Don’t know,” answered Johnny Green. “They run 
away, I guess, after they started the wheel. Just like boys, 
though I don’t suppose they really thought they had put 
you in danger. That’s just like boys, too. Are you all 
right, Tommy?” 

“I guess so. My head aches.” 

“That’s where you were hit. But come on, I’ll take you 
home. Next time don’t get on the mill wheel.” 

Tommy promised that he would not. He was quite 
shaky, and besides the pain in his head, his ankle hurt 
where it had been caught in a hole in the wheel. 

“I wonder if I’ll be able to play ball to-morrow?” he 
asked of Old Johnny Green, as they walked along. 

“Play ball! Well, I declare! You boys beat all! Here 
you’ve been close to being badly hurt, to say the least, and 
the first thing you think of is baseball.” 

“But I’m the captain of the team,” explained Tommy. 
“I have to be there. I wonder if I can run on this ankle,” 
and he was about to try a little sprint, when the old man 
caught him by the arm. 


TOMMY SAVES HIS ENEMY 109 

“None of that, Tommy!” he exclaimed. “If you are 
going to play ball you don’t want to strain your ankle until 
you have to. Just take it easy — go home and rest.” 

“Will you come home with me?” asked Tommy, “and 
— and tell my mother how it happened — how you saved 
me?” 

“Well, yes, if you want me to,” agreed Johnny Green, 
slowly, “though I’m not much on calling to folks’ houses. 
My clothes don’t look very good,” he added. 

“My mother doesn’t care for clothes,” declared Tommy. 

You may well imagine there was some excitement in the 
Tiptop household when Tommy’s story was told. And you 
may also well imagine that Old Johnny Green was thanked 
over and over again, for the part he had played. 

When Sam and Jakie learned how narrowly Tommy 
had escaped, they were very much frightened, and their 
fathers came over to tell Mr. Tiptop that they had 
punished their sons, though the boys had said that they did 
not know Tommy was on the wheel when they started it, 
and this was true. 

Mr. Tiptop was rather stern about the matter, and told 
how Jakie had often done mean things, and Mr. Norton 
promised to see if he could not make his boy behave him- 
self in the future. 

Though a bit stiff, Tommy was able to play ball the 
next day, and his nine won from another composed of lads 
about their own age, from a nearby town. 

“Oh, we’ve got a fine team!” cried Tommy. But, alas! 
the very next week they met defeat, and at the hands of a 
team younger than themselves. 

Tommy was much downcast and nothing his chums 
could say made him feel better. 

“We’ve got to practice more!” he declared, and from 


no 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


then on, nearly every afternoon when school was out, the 
lads met on the lot, and had practice at batting and catch- 
ing, sometimes playing a scrub game. 

In” the meanwhile, neither Sam nor Jakie bothered 
Tommy any more, though, occasionally, Jakie made sneer- 
ing remarks. 

Tommy spent all his spare time at baseball, and his 
mother said he even talked it in his sleep. But he was 
very enthusiastic about it, and so was every member of his 
team. 

Only about half the nine had uniforms, and Tommy’s 
dearest wish was to get them all fitted out. But some of 
the boys were too poor to afford the suits. 

“I wonder how we could make a little extra cash?” 
asked Herbert Kress. 

“Why not give a show?” suggested Georgie Pennington. 

“What kind?” asked Tommy. 

“Oh, a minstrel show, or an Indian one. We fellows 
could do the acting. We could have it in my barn, I 
guess, and charge a nickel admission, and ten cents for re- 
serve seats. I was in a show with some other fellows once, 
and we made five dollars.” 

“Say, it would be great if we could do that!” exclaimed 
Tommy. “We could get the rest of the suits then.” 

It was a few days after this, and Tommy was thinking 
hard on the subject of giving a show, when his mother 
asked him to take a message for her, late one afternoon, to 
a lady who lived a short distance out of town, on a country 
road. It was something about a meeting of a new society 
of women, which Mrs. Tiptop had joined. 

Tommy completed his errand, and he was trudging 
along toward home, munching a piece of cake the lady had 


TOMMY SAVES HIS ENEMY in 

given him, when, from behind him, he heard a shout of 
terror. 

Looking back, he saw a horse running along the road, 
dragging something after him in the dust. And it was 
from this something that the shouts were coming. 

Tommy felt his heart beating fast. He recognized the 
voice as that of his enemy, Jakie Norton, who was in great 
danger. 

“Oh, IVe got to save him!” gasped our hero. 

The horse was coming on rapidly, swaying the unfor- 
tunate lad from side to side in the dust. Tommy did not 
know much about stopping runaway horses, and he was too 
small to reach up and try to grasp the bridle, even if he 
had dared do such a thing. But he remembered once he 
had seen a man stand in front of a runaway team, and, by 
holding out his arms, turn them aside into a light wooden 
fence, where they came to a halt. 

“I’m going to try that way!” exclaimed Tommy to him- 
self. He stood in the middle of the road. The horse was 
near to him now, but the boy it was dragging no longer 
shouted. 

“Whoa! Whoa there!” yelled Tommy, waving his arms 
up and down. 

The horse snorted in terror, and then suddenly swerved 
to one side, almost running into the fence. He came to a 
halt and then Tommy acted quickly. 

In a flash he had his pocket knife out, with the big 
blade newly sharpened, and, while the horse stood close to 
the fence, trembling in fright, the small lad slipped around 
and cut the lines loose from the foot of Jakie, around 
which they were caught. And it was done not a moment 
too soon, for, an instant later, the horse started off again. 


CHAPTER XIII 


TOMMY GIVES A SHOW 

“Are you much hurt, Jakie? How did it happen? Is 
your head cut?” 

Tommy asked these questions of the lad, who lay so still 
and quiet on the grass at the side of the roadway. He 
tried to lift Jakie’s head, but it fell back, very limp at the 
neck. 

“I — I guess he’s badly hurt,” murmured Tommy, and 
then he heard someone running toward him. It was a man, 
from a nearby farmhouse. 

“Say, you did the right thing!” the man exclaimed. “I 
saw you turn that horse. Who is he?” and he pointed to 
Jakie. 

Tommy told the name, also giving his own. 

At that moment Jakie opened his eyes. Then he caught 
sight of Tommy. 

“Did — did you stop that horse?” he asked, slowly. 

Tommy nodded. Somehow, he was more glad at hav- 
ing done Jakie a good turn than he would have been had 
he taken revenge on him for some of the mean things the 
bully had done to him. 

• “Indeed, he did stop it!” exclaimed the farmer. “It 
was as plucky a thing as I ever saw. Then, before the ani- 
mal had a chance to drag you along farther, he cut the 
lines. It was done good and proper, and you can thank 
your lucky stars that you aren’t hurt any worse than you 
are.” 


1 12 


TOMMY GIVES A SHOW 


113 


“I want to thank him,” said Jakie, suddenly holding out 
his hand to Tommy. “Say,” he went on, awkwardly, “will 
you — I mean I’m sorry for what I did to you — I didn’t 
mean ” 

“Do you think you can go home?” asked Tommy, of 
the lad who had been his enemy. 

“If you can’t I’ll hitch up and drive you in,” promised 
the farmer. 

“Oh, I’m all right,” insisted Jakie. “Just a little dizzy. 
I can walk.” 

“I’ll go with you,” volunteered Tommy. 

For a while, as they walked along, there was an awk- 
ward silence between the boys. They did not know what 
to say to each other. Jakie wanted to tell Tommy how he 
regretted being so mean, and Tommy did not want to make 
his new friend feel badly by letting him do it. 

“Do you think you can manage to walk home?” asked 
Tommy, at length, to start some talk. 

“Oh, yes. Say, how is your ball nine coming on?” 

“Pretty good. We play every Saturday, and sometimes 
in the middle of the week. Have you seen our diamond?” 

“Yes, and it’s pretty good for kids — I mean for boys like 
you to fix up,” and Jakie corrected himself quickly. “It’s 
a good back-stop you have.” 

“Yes, Old Johnny Green helped us make it.” 

“Humph! He’s the man who saved you from the water 
wheel. Say, I’m real sorry about that. Sam and I never 
dreamed you were on it, and ” 

“Oh, I know,” interrupted Tommy, quickly. “Don’t 
worry about that. I — can’t we — that is, can’t we be 
friends?” he asked. “I— er— that is ” 

“Say, will you?” asked Jakie, eagerly. “I would like to 
be friends with you. It was all my fault, and ” 


1 1 4 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 

“It was partly mine, too,” went on Tommy. “I— I 
guess I shouldn’t have got so mad that time you took my 
bat.” 

“Honestly, that was only a joke,” explained Jakie. “I 
saw you were a new boy in town, and I wanted to have 
some fun with you.” 

“Then it’s all right,” answered the young captain. 
“Come to our games sometimes,” he invited. “Of course, 
we’re not very good players, but we have lots of fun.” 

“Sure I’ll come. Say, you’ve got quite a nine, I think. 
Plave all the lads got uniforms?” 

“No, and I wish they did have. We have some chal- 
lenges from a lot of uniformed teams, and our boys don’t 
look good next to the fellows with suits on. But we haven’t 
the money yet, and some of the lads can’t raise the cash 
themselves. We’re going to have a show soon, and try to 
make some money.” 

“Are you? Say, that’s a good way.” 

The boys walked on in silence for some little distance 
farther, and though Jakie was very lame and stiff, and had 
a number of bruises, his heavy clothing, and the fact that 
the road was covered with a layer of soft dust, had saved 
him from a serious injury. 

“I’m going to stop at Mr. Armstrong’s on my way 
home,” he said, after a while, “and ask if the horse got 
back all right. He might think it was my fault.” 

The horse was back in his stable when Tommy and 
Jakie reached the Armstrong farmhouse, and Mr. Arm- 
strong, very much worried by the return of the steed alone, 
and by the cut ends of the line, was about to start off in 
search of Jakie. 

As Tommy and his new friend were proceeding on to- 


TOMMY GIVES A SHOW 


US 

ward their homes, the larger lad turned suddenly to his 
companion, and asked: 

“Say, wouldn’t you fellows like to take my moving- 
picture magic lantern for your show?” 

“Say! I just guess we would!” cried Tommy, in de- 
light. “But it’s a big machine, isn’t it? It might get 
damaged.” 

“I’ll take a chance,” replied Jakie, good-naturedly. 
“I’ll run it for you myself, if you’ll let me. I’d like to do 
you some favor for what you did for me to-day.” 

“Thanks,” answered Tommy. “It would be fine if 
you’d run the lantern. I’ve been wondering if we could 
get up anything good enough to charge ten cents admis- 
sion for, and the lantern will be just the thing.” 

“I’ve got some good funny views,” went on Jakie. 

“Then come over to my house to-night,” invited 
Tommy, “and we’ll talk about it. Some of the other boys 
are going to be there.” 

And from then on, for a week or more, the activities of 
Tommy were equally divided between baseball and the 
coming show. In fact, he gave more time to the show, 
which seemed as if it was going to be a good one — that is, 
if enough of the boys were left to make up an audience. 

Finally, the afternoon of the performance came. It 
was on a Saturday, when there was no ball game, and the 
show was to be. given again in the evening. 

I haven’t the space to tell you all about it, but I will 
say that it was a great success. Tommy, as a clown, created 
much laughter, and when the boys did a scene from a den- 
tist’s office, behind a sheet, with a light so arranged as to 
make shadow pictures, the audience laughed again and 
again. 

The moving-picture machine, operated by Jakie, more 


n6 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


than came up to expectations, for some really good views 
were shown. The performance came to a close by a grand 
finale in which “the full strength of the company” was 
used, to quote from the pencil-printed handbills. 

The show was given again at night, when a larger 
crowd came, including a number of men and women, who 
had been teased into it by their boys and girls, who had 
been to the afternoon performance. 

“Well, how did we make out?” asked Teddy of Tommy 
that night, when the last act had been given. 

“Pretty well, I guess,” answered the young captain, as 
he counted over the money. “Here’s a nickel with a hole 
in!” he exclaimed. “I wonder who passed that on us?” 

“Oh, never mind,” said Teddy. “We can get four cents 
for it almost anywhere. How much did we make?” 

“Five dollars and fourteen cents,” announced Tommy, 
after adding up some figures on a piece of paper. “It 
would have been five-fifteen only for that plugged nickel.” 

“Then we can all have uniforms!” exclaimed Frank 
Bonder, who was one of the lads who could not afford a 
suit. He had worked hard for the show, however, and had 
sold seventy-five cents’ worth of tickets. 

“Sure we’ll have the uniforms,” decided Tommy. “It 
was great, and that moving-picture machine was best of all. 
We’re much obliged to you, Jakie.” 

“Oh, that’s all right. I’m going to get some new views, 
and I’ll help you out next time you have a show.” 

“That’s fine!” exclaimed the lads in a chorus, and Jakie 
felt his heart warmly glowing. It was nice, he thought, to 
have so many new friends. 


CHAPTER XIV 


TOMMY MEETS OLD FRIENDS 

“Here'S a letter for you, Tommy!” said his mother one 
Saturday morning, when the postman had stopped on his 
usual round. 

“For me?” exclaimed her son. “Is it from Freeport?” 

“No, it’s from where we used to live. Why, were you 
expecting a letter from Freeport?” 

“Yes, we challenged the Ramblers from there to an- 
other game, and they haven’t answered it. But I wonder 
who is writing to me from Millton?” 

“It looks like some boy,” replied Mrs. Tiptop, as she 
handed the letter to Tommy. 

It did not take him long to read it, and then he cried 
out: 

“Say, momsey, this is great news! It’s a challenge from 
the Millton Junior Athletes! They’ve got a ball nine, and 
they want to play my team. Oh, say, this will be fun!” 

“I didn’t know there was a nine in Millton — that is, a 
small team,” said Mrs. Tiptop. “There wasn’t one when 
you were there.” 

“I tried to start one,” spoke Tommy, “but we moved 
away too soon. But Dan Danforth, George Squire, Patsie 
Cook, Billy Newhouse, Pete Johnson and some of the 
others have a regular nine now. And they have uniforms, 
Dan writes me. He wants to come here for a game. Oh, 
I’m glad our team all have suits now! I must write to 
Dan and tell him to come on, and we’ll beat his nine.” 

ii 7 


ii8 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


The Riverdale Roarers lost their game of ball that day. 
Some of them said afterward that the umpire was unfair to 
them, and others admitted that the Hightstown boys were 
the better players. Tommy was inclined to believe the last. 

“We’ve got to play better than this two weeks from Sat- 
urday,” he said after the lost game. 

“Why?” asked Teddy. 

“Because a team of fellows from Millton, where I used 
to live, is coming here. I’ve just got to beat ’em!” 

“We’ll help you!” exclaimed Billie, eagerly. “But who 
do we play this Saturday week?” 

“The Ramblers from Freeport. They have a new 
pitcher, too, and he can curve like anything, I hear.” 

“Then we’ll have to do more practicing,” declared 
Sammie Sandlass. Nearly everyone else thought the same 
thing, and, beginning with the following Monday after- 
noon, some hard scrub games took place on the field 
diamond. 

The boys who had, up to this time, no uniforms, were 
provided with suits for the Rambler game, and though they 
did not all match, having been bought at different times in 
different places, still they made the team look very ship- 
shape. 

The “R. R.” device in red, worked on the shirts of all 
the suits, showed up bravely in the sun, as the lads trotted 
out to do a little practicing before the game. 

“Now, boys, go in and win!” begged Tommy. 

“Sure we will!” they cried in a chorus. 

Whether it was the new uniforms, or because the Ram- 
blers made up their minds not to be beaten a second time, 
was not made plain, but certainly Tommy’s team met with 
another defeat, though not by a very large score. 

“I declare, it’s too bad!” exclaimed Georgie Pennington, 


TOMMY MEETS OLD FRIENDS 


1 19 


who had muffed a ball and been responsible for letting the 
winning run come in. “I don’t see how it happened.” 

“Oh, we’re all right!” exclaimed Teddy. “We’ll white- 
wash the Millton Juniors.” 

The day of the great game came. At least Tommy 
always called it the “great” game. It was beautiful 
weather, just right for baseball, and the diamond had been 
put in extra good shape. 

“When are your old friends coming, Tommy?” asked 
his mother, as tired from practice, but happy and confident, 
her son came home to dinner. 

“About one o’clock, on the trolley. I’m going to meet 
them.” 

Several of his team accompanied the young captain to 
the point where the challenging members would leave the 
trolley. It was a sort of welcoming committee. 

“Guess this must be their car,” spoke Tommy, after 
several electric vehicles had gone past without bringing the 
nine. “Yes, there they are!” he added as he caught sight 
of the heads of several lads thrust from the open windows. 

“There he is!” 

“Nice uniforms they got!” 

“We’re a bigger team than they are.” 

“Hello, Tommy Tiptop! How are you?” 

“Glad to see you!” 

These were only a few of the many expressions that 
were yelled forth as the car came to a stop. The next 
minute Tommy was in the midst of his former boy friends 
of Millton, laughing, talking and shaking hands with them. 


CHAPTER XV; 


TOMMY TASTES VICTORY 

“PLAY ball!” called the umpire, a tall lad, a bit older 
than any of the players. Tommy and Dan Danforth, the 
rival captains, had decided that an older lad’s decisions 
would stand better than those given by a small youth. “Play 
ball!” 

“Now, Tommy, show ’em how you strike ’em out!” 
called Sammie Sandlass. 

“Yes, nothing less than a whitewash!” added Teddy 
Bunker. It was all in good-natured fun, and no one 
minded it. 

“We’ll get all the runs we need this inning, and then 
we can take it easy the rest of the game,” predicted Captain 
Dan. 

“Yes, we’ll see what kind of a wooden arm Tommy 
has,” put in George Squire. 

“Come on! Play ball! Play ball!” advised the umpire. 

Tommy sent in as swift a ball as he could, and he was 
quite delighted when Pete Johnson, the first one of the 
Juniors at bat, missed it. 

“I guess I can curve, after all, eh?” asked the pitcher. 

“That was an accident. I’ll hit the next one,” declared 
Pete, and he did, getting to first base. Patsie Cook made a 
foul and got out, and Billy Newhouse ran for first, only to 
be put out there, as he had not hit the ball far enough. 
But Dan Danforth brought in Pete from third base, with 

120 




Tommy and His Mates Disagreed With the 
Decision 0} the Umpire . 


121 



ft 



TOMMY TASTES VICTORY 


123 


the first run of the game, and the Roarers felt a little down- 
cast at the start their rivals made. However, that was all 
the visitors scored in their half of the first inning. 

“Now to see what we can do!” exclaimed Tommy, and 
to his delight his side got two runs. Then there was a dis- 
cussion about a boy being put out at home. Tommy and 
his mates disagreed with the decision of the umpire. 

“Say, if you don’t give in, I’ll quit!” declared the boy 
who was calling strikes and balls. 

“Oh, well, we’ll give it, but he wasn’t out!” insisted 
Tommy. 

“Oh, we’ll snow you under!” declared Dan, with a laugh. 

From then on the home team played very poor ball, 
until in the eighth inning the score was ten to six in favor 
of the visitors, when Tommy’s nine came in for their half 
of that inning. 

“Four to tie and five to win!” cried Tommy. 

“We never can do it!” declared Teddy, sorrowfully. 

“Yes, we can — we’ve just got to!” exclaimed the young 
captain. 

It looked, too, as if they might, for they got three runs 
without a player being out. 

“Oh, we’re going through without any trouble!” exulted 
Tommy. And then his lads got tired and could not hit 
well, while the other boys did some pretty fielding work. 

“We must get that one run!” cried Tommy, but it was 
not to be, and when the ninth inning opened the score was 
ten runs to nine in favor of the visitors. 

“And here is where we go out!” declared Dan, as his 
first player stepped to the stone that marked home plate. 

“I’ve just got to pitch for all I’m worth!” thought 
Tommy, desperately. And he did. Somehow he managed 
to strike out the two first boys in quick succession. Then 


124 


TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


the next one hit what was the best ball of that day. He 
got to third base on it, and if he had been a little quicker 
he would have gone home. 

“Play for the batter,” advised Teddy, who was catching, 
and Tommy nodded his head, to show that he understood. 
If they could get the batter out, the run would not come in, 
and the Roarers would still have a chance to win, as they 
had the last chance at bat. 

“Three balls!” called the umpire, after there had been 
two strikes named. 

“If the next one is a ball, he’ll take his base,” reflected 
Tommy, “and the next boy up is a heavy hitter. Fve got 
to strike him out. I must do it!” 

And he did. How it thrilled him to hear the umpire 
shout: 

“Three strikes — batter out!” for the ball was safe in 
Teddy’s big mitt. 

“Now to win!” cried Tommy, as his side came in. 

There was a dispute on the part of the visitors, but the 
umpire held to his decision. 

The visitors worked hard to hold the lead they had, but 
the home team was desperate. 

“Fellows, you’ve never played better!” cried Tommy. 
“Go in now and win!” 

Sammie Sandlass was up first, and, though he never was 
a very good hitter, he managed to knock what was only a 
two-bagger, but on which he got to third, as the boy trying 
to catch the ball muffed it. 

“Now a home run, and the game is ours!” cried 
Tommy, as Frank Bonder came up. Frank was not usually 
very reliable, but this time he surprised all his friends. 

“Go on! Go on!” 

“Home run!” 


TOMMY TASTES VICTORY 


12$ 


“Come on in, Sammie!” 

Everybody was yelling as the ball sailed down the field 
after Frank hit it. Oh, how he ran! Faster and faster, 
trying to beat the boy after the ball! 

Sammie was safe at home now, with the run that tied the 
score, and Frank was coming. It was a close race, but 
Frank won. 

“How’s that?” demanded the visiting catcher as he stood 
over Frank, who was down in the dust. 

“Safe!” said the umpire. 

“Never!” yelled the team from Millton. 

“Sure he’s safe!” insisted Tommy. “Anyhow, if he 
isn’t, it’s only one out; the game is tied, and we have two 
more chances.” 

“He’s safe,” declared the umpire, and the visitors had 
to allow it. That made the score eleven to ten in favor of 
the home team. Tommy’s nine had won the victory which 
he most desired. It was great! 

“All right, I guess you win,” admitted Dan, after a dis- 
cussion. “Well, Tommy, you defeated us. You’ve got a 
fine team and a good diamond.” 

“Well, we worked hard for it,” said Tommy. “We’ll 
play you again next year. We’re champions now! Hur- 
rah!” 

“Are you going to have the same nine?” asked Dan. 

“Yes, or one like it, and, say, I’m going to have a lot of 
fun this fall and winter,” he went on. “There are a fine 
crowd of boys in this town.” 

“There sure are,” agreed Dan. And those of you who 
are interested in the future fortunes of Tommy may read 
of what he did that fall in the book to follow this, to be 
called “Tommy Tiptop and His Football Eleven; or, A 
Great Victory and How It Was Won.” And after the foot- 


126 TOMMY TIPTOP AND HIS NINE 


ball season Tommy continued to be active, as he always was. 
I am going to tell you what he did after the eleven was 
disbanded, in the third book of the series, to be called 
‘Tommy Tiptop and His Winter Sports; or, Jolly Times 
on the Ice and in Camp.” 

Over the diamond thronged the boys of the two teams, 
cheering each other, laughing and shouting. Of course 
Dan’s team felt badly at losing the game, but they were 
glad Tommy had won, for they were quite proud of him. 

“Well played, youngsters!” exclaimed Mr. Fillmore, 
who with his friend, the hardware man, was at the game. 
“Well played! It was worth seeing!” 

Tommy Tiptop felt very proud and happy. 

“Oh, but you are so dirty!” exclaimed his mother, who 
with Nellie, and some of her daughter’s girl friends, had 
come to the contest. “So dirty and hot!” 

“That doesn’t matter, mother. We won! We won!” 
cried Tommy. 

And now, as he is marching across the diamond with his 
friends, old and new, in their baseball suits, cheering and 
laughing, we will take leave of Tommy Tiptop. 


THE END 


THE TRIPPERTROTS SERIES 

By HOWARD R. GARIS 

Author of the famous “BEDTIME STORIES ” 


These stories have been told over the telephone nightly 
to thousands of children. The urgent demand has led us to 
publish them in book form for the first time. 

Get acquainted with the Trippertrots, you will not 
regret it. Read how they ran away and how they got back, 
the wonderful things they saw and the wonderful things they 
did. They will grip you and hold you interested and 
amazed to the very end. 


THE THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS 

How They Ran Away and How They Got Back Again 

THE THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS ON THEIR TRAVELS 

The Wonderful Things They Saw and the 
Wonderful Things They Did 


Both volumes uniformly bound in cloth with beautiful colored 
picture on cover. 8vo size, 160 pages, 12 full-page illustrations, 
four of them in color. Price 60 Cents Each. 


For Sale at all book stores or sent postpaid 
upon receipt of price by the publishers. 

GRAHAM & MATLACK 

251 West 19th Street 


New York 


UP AND DOING SERIES 

By FREDERICK GORDON 


The doings of real, live boys between the ages of 9 and 1 2. 

THE YOUNG CRUSOES OF PINE ISLAND 

Or, The Wreck of the Puff 

Here is a story full of thrills about three boys that lived on the 
edge of a large lake. They have plenty of fun fishing, swimming and 
sailing, etc., and one day while sailing their boat, “The Puff,” she cap- 
sized and drifted to an island in the lake where they play Robinson 
Crusoe until rescued. 


SAMMY BROWN'S TREASURE HUNT 

Or, Lost in the Mountains 

The great desire of Sammy Brown and his chums to find a 
treasure leads them into many adventures, gets them lost and finally 
discloses the treasure — but not the one for which they were searching. 
Adventure-loving boys should not miss this great story. 


BOB BOUNCER'S SCHOOLDAYS 

Or, The Doings of a Real, Live, Everyday Boy 

Primary and Grammar School life affords boys plenty of fun, and 
Bob Bouncer’s schooldays are “ brim full ” of just such fun, adven- 
tures and some rivalries. 

Bob Bouncer was a boy with red blood in his veins, and you 
should read this story of his doings. 


Quarto, cloth, 128 pages. Eight full-page illustrations and beautiful 
colored picture on cover. Price 40 Cents per Volume • 


For Sale at all book stores or sent postpaid 
tipon receipt of price by the publishers. 

GRAHAM & MATLACK 

251 West 19th Street 


New York 





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